


Fe-Bee-rurary

by Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 22,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22500880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force/pseuds/Blake_Belladonna_Defence_Force
Summary: Is that... could it bee... yes!Time for a second month of prompts for our buzzing little bees!Time for the goofy, sweet and sometimes odd prompts to start up again!
Relationships: Bumbleby - Relationship
Comments: 181
Kudos: 677





	1. Sickness

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1 - Sickness
> 
> First off, thank you all so much for your sweet words at the end of Januar-Bee. They meant a lot.
> 
> Secondly... I decided to write a second month of prompts because it was a lot of fun to write the first!
> 
> Thirdly, you can keep up with me on my tumblr @blake-belladonna-defence-force. Keep note: you maaaay see a whole lotta fondness for Blake because... I mean... come on. It’s Blake. She’s best girl 😁

“Fuck!” Blake yelped, whirling around to see a shocked Yang with her hand still raised from where she had tapped Blake on her shoulder.

“Yang?!” She huffed, her heart racing. Her ears were pressed as flat against her skull as they could go underneath her ribbon. She quickly plucked her earbuds from her human ears and glared at her friend. “Brothers! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?! Gods!” 

“I’m sorry! I just… wanted to grab your attention! I didn’t know you were so jumpy!” Yang raised her hands defensively. “My bad.”

“Ugh.” Blake groaned, slumping back against her bed and grumbling. “I grew up outside the kingdoms, Yang. You kind of need to be jumpy to survive.”

“That bad, huh?” Yang said, her voice soft with compassion. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Blake muttered, suddenly feeling awkward and unsure of what do with Yang’s sympathy. It was new and unusual… but not altogether unwelcome. “Plenty of people had it worse than me.”

“That doesn’t take away from what you went through, though. You still had a hard time. That’s not changed by the fact that others may have had worse experiences.” Yang said calmly, sitting beside Blake in her bed and leaning back on her hands. “The path through hell looks different for all of us, Blake. Doesn’t mean the demons that you faced are any less scary than somebody else’s. I think that comparing our paths is… not the greatest choice. It can become like a sickness, infecting you and getting into your head. It makes you think that there’s some sort of… quota for suffering. But there’s not. If you’re hurting, you’re hurting. If you have scars, you have scars. Nobody gets to take that journey from you or trivialise it.”

Blake stared at her partner for a moment, shock and sentiment coursing through her, before letting out a soft huff of laughter and shaking her head fondly. 

“Wow.” She murmured softly, her ears flicking curiously against her bow. “You’re something else, Yang.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that once I think I’ve got a read on you, you continue to surprise me.” Blake said with a quirked brow, playfully cuffing Yang’s shoulder. 

“In… a bad way?”

“No, it’s definitely good.” Blake smiled fondly at her friend before smirking. “I am a fan of difficult to read books, after all.” She felt her smirk soften when Yang laughed, her expression shifting to something more tender. “What did you want my attention for?”

“Oh! Sorry.” Yang grinned sheepishly, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck. “I just… I think that this is the first time that I’ve seen you listening to music and I was just curious about what music you liked.”

“Why? So you can drag me to a concert?” Blake grinned cheekily at Yang. “Perhaps join in on the Wall of Death? Start a fight in the mosh pit? We could even get matching janky tattoos.”

“Oh my God! No!” Yang made a face. “I wouldn’t put you into that sorta situation! I know that I’m, like, still kind of ignorant and still learning…. But I get that certain concerts aren’t exactly… friendly to faunus with ears as their dominant trait. I’d never ask you to put yourself in an uncomfortable situation like that. I just… wanted to know, is all. I like learning new thing about you, Blake.”

And once more, Yang managed to stun Blake into silence. For somebody, a human no less, to take her wellbeing as a faunus into consideration… it was very touching. Blake felt her heart swell and let out a gentle sigh as she shuffled closer to Yang and offered an earbud to her as she looked through her scroll to show Yang her favourites.

“Here.” She said softly, smile gentle. “I’ll show you. And just so you know… we eared faunus can go to concerts. We just need to be careful.”

“Oh. Okay.” Yang mumbled as she put her head beside Blake’s and popped the earbud in. “In that case… show me what you’ve got.”

Blake clicked on a song called “Atlesian Idiot” and pressed play. She had a funny feeling that Yang would be both surprised and amused.


	2. Car

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Blake’s car breaks down in Vale a small she’s making a road trip home, she meets a certain lilac eyed mechanic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 - Car
> 
> I got a lot of suggestions for what car to give Blake but ultimately, I went with this one because I needed an older car to break down...
> 
> Also... this car model is cool as hell and I wanted to write about Blake owning one.

“Oh, are you kidding me?” Blake hissed through clenched teeth as her uncle’s old Ford Mustang slowly sputtered out and stalled, the engine cutting when she came to a stop. “Come on, baby. Not now. Don’t do this to me now!” Unfortunately, no amount of wheedling pleas made a difference to the inanimate vehicle. Blake let out a frustrated growl as smoke plumed up from under her hood and pressed a button to release the hood. She stepped out of her car and went to lift the hood to check her water and oil… only to burn her hands on hot metal. “Mother fuc-ow!”

And perhaps kicking her car wasn’t the wisest choice when she was wearing open toed shoes. 

“God.” She groaned. While she loved her car and was immensely grateful to her uncle Tukson for selling it to her, she couldn’t help but see it as the bane of her existence. She let out a heavy sigh and sat in the driver’s seat and reached over to the passenger’s side and opened her suitcase and pulled out her phone. “Please let there be a mechanic open this late!” She whined quietly to herself. It was dark and she did not want to deal with any creeps tonight. 

She ran a quick search and tried multiple different mechanics, all without success. When she came to her fifth one, she heard it ring and waited, her fingers tapping on the steering wheel anxiously.

“Yello? Rose Mechanics, what can I do ya for?” A friendly, feminine voice greeted. 

“Oh my God, you actually answered!” Blake couldn’t help but laugh, relieved. “I’m really sorry to be calling so late but my car broke down and-“

“Broke down? Sorry, we only deal in cars that are perfectly sound. We never work with broken down cars.” Ugh. Blake could practically hear the cheeky grin in her voice.

“I- what?” Blake bit back a groan. She was not in the mood for this. Leaving Adam, buying her uncle’s car with three quarters of her savings, hoping to drive back home and now, she was stuck in Vale. “Look, it’s like… nearly 7:00 at night, I’ve been driving for hours. I would like to catch just… one break.” Blake’s voice hitched violently. Maybe Adam had been right. Maybe she couldn’t make it here on her own. But there was no way in hell that she was about to go crawling back to him. 

“Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry.” The voice said gently, soothingly, after a pause. “I usually have a better bedside manner than this, I swear. I just… use humour to help my clients feel more comfortable but that was obviously the wrong approach with you. I’m sorry.”

Blake nearly balked at the compassionate, apologetic tone of voice. Her ears tilted back in alarm, horrifically unused to having her words actually be considered and listened to. 

“I- you’re fine.” Blake sighed and let her head hit the back of her seat. “Is- look, I don’t have a lot left but I’ll give you whatever lien I have to just come out and look.”

“That sounds like a lot for just a look, ma’am.”

“Yeah, well… desperate times and all that.” Blake muttered. God. She hated appearing weak. She hated that this whole situation was forcing her to be vulnerable. She hated everything about this.

“Alright. Tell me where you are and I’ll personally come out and see what I can do.”

“I- really?” Blake jolted, surprise making her ears stand up straight. “Oh my- Yeah, of course! Thank you so much!”

/////////////////////////////////

It was 20 minutes later when Blake heard a tow truck and watched as it pulled up in front of her. She let out a sigh of relied and hopped out of her car and fixed her hair, adjusting her summer skirt as she went. She put on a polite smile and watched as the door opened and a young blonde woman jumped out. She was dressed in a pair of mechanic’s overalls over the top of a simple, orange tank top. As she got closer, Blake noticed four things about this woman. 

1\. Her eyes were lilac. One of Blake’s favourite colours.  
2\. The sleeves overalls were tied around her waist. This meant that her arms were on display. This lead to the third thing that she noticed.  
3\. She was, as her high school friend Sun would say, built like a brick shithouse. Broad shoulders and strong biceps drew Blake’s attention before she snapped her eyes back up to her face.  
4\. Which was perhaps the prettiest face that Blake had ever seen.

“Helloooo!” Said the wall of muscle and beauty walking toward Blake. “I believe that you called me to look at your car?”

“Uh… yeah.” Blake blinked dumbly for a moment before coughing into her fist and clearing her throat. “Yes. That’s me. I’m Blake Belladonna.”

“Yang Xiao Long.” Yang grinned, jutting a thumb towards her chest… and nope. Yang’s eyes are certainly not there, Blake, so look up. “Damn, this is your baby? She’s beautiful. Ford Mustang Fastback, yeah?”

“1976, to be exact. I just bought it from my uncle.” Blake watched as Yang moved around the car, running an admiring hand among the black paint. “He was in an accident and had let her get a bit… run down, engine wise, I guess. So he sold her to me.” Blake said, as Yang moved to the hood. “I, uh. I really don’t know what you’re going to find since he hasn’t been able to get a check done on her.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it.” Yang grinned again. “I’m sure that we can sort something out, Blake.”

Blake felt her cheeks heat up. Why the hell did her own name sound so pretty coming from Yang’s mouth?

“Oh… oh boy.”

“What “oh boy” are you talking about?” Blake asked anxiously, her ears tilting back as Yang shifted under the hood and examined the engine. 

“I’m really sorry about this…” Yang sighed as she stepped back and gave Blake a genuinely apologetic look. “But your girl here’s gonna need a full diagnostic back at the shop.”

“Oh.” Blake said quietly, inhaling shakily as she covered her eyes with a hand and bit her lip. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry.” Yang said softly, her gentle tone causing Blake to meet her gaze. “I wish that I had better news for you. But I can tell that you’re in a rough spot…” her eyes darted to Blake’s hurriedly packed suitcase. “So I’m going to help you. I’ll take you both back to the shop and we can work something out from there. There a motel across the way so you can stay there. My sister and her best friend own the place so they’ll give you a discount because you’re my customer now. Sound good?”

“You- why are you doing this?” Blake stepped back, suddenly unsure. She wasn’t used to this. “Why are you being so nice?”

“Because that’s my upbringing.” Yang said simply, shrugging with a sad smile. “If I can put a little bit of good out into the world, then I’m going to.”

“I- you- what about your boss?”

“Oh darling.” Yang chuckled softly before offering Blake a playful smirk. “I am the boss.”

Blake froze, flinching away at the sudden endearment. She ducked her head and struggled to draw air into her lungs as a condescending smirk filled her vision. The hidden bruises on her biceps ached and his words echoed on her mind. 

“Blake?”

“Shit!” Blake hissed, struggling to pull herself from the panic attack. Her breaths were short and she could feel a familiar chill spread through her. 

“Easy. Just focus on me.” 

Blake, desperate for something to latch onto to ground herself, met Yang’s gaze.

“Good. Now… what colour are my eyes?”

“L-lilac.”

“Yep. But I have flecks of another colour in em. Can you tell me what it is?”

Blake inhaled and tried to focus on Yang’s eyes.

“Uh- r-red. Red flecks.”

“Yeah, that’s good, Blake. Real good.” Yang smiled reassuringly. “Now… what colour is my hair?”

“Blonde.”

“Yeah, that’s right. What colour is my shirt?”

“Orange.”

And so it went, with Yang gently asking for colours of various objects and giving Blake something to focus on and Blake answering each one. Eventually, her breathing evened out and she moved to sit in her driver’s seat with Yang knelt in front of her, keeping a respectful distance between them.

“Uh… thank you.” Blake muttered, rubbing her arms anxiously.

“No problem. I’ve got a couple of friends that I’ve had to help with their panic attacks.” Yang gave a small smile. “Plus I’ve had one or two myself.”

“Hmm.” Blake hummed tiredly, lower on energy than she had been before.

“Okay… hows this; you go get in the passenger side of my truck, I’ll hook your baby up and then, I’ll drop you off at the motel. I’ll walk you in and let my sister and her friend know what’s going and head back to my shop. You come by when you feel ready to tomorrow and we’ll sort something out for you.”

“I-“ Blake sighed heavily. A part of her wanted to argue; that Yang was doing too much for a simple stranger. But she just didn’t have the energy. “Yeah. Sure.”

Yang smiled kindly at her and stood up and ushered Blake to her truck (which, upon closer inspection, had an intricate rose design on it) and set about hooking Blake’s car up to the truck.

Blake settled in and focused on her breathing. When Yang climbed into the driver’s seat, she gave Blake a warm smile and started up the truck and drove them to, as she said, her sister’s motel.

The following events happened in a blur but eventually, she made her her way to her motel room and flopped face first into her bed. She soon fell asleep, not caring that she was still in her skirt and shoes. 

Little did she know, that when fate decided to make her break down in the town of Vale, it had more than just a convenient mechanic in mind. 


	3. Poor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang takes on a new hire for her garage when Blake Belladonna rolls into town.
> 
> A little kindness can go a long way. But how far can it take both women before Blake leaves?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 - Poor
> 
> Okay. Since several of you were interested in the last day’s prompt, you get a sequel.
> 
> Enjoy 😊

“Jaune.” Yang groaned, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at the blonde man as he got out from his Hyandi Exel. “You better not be coming into my garage with break problems. Again!”

“Uh…” Jaune let out a nervous laugh and ran his hands through his shaggy hair. “Sorry, Yang.”

“I am this close to punching you.” Yang deadpanned, narrowing her eyes at the sheepish man. “I hope you know that.”

“You say that every time I come here but you never do.” Jaune said pointedly, crossing his arms and raising a brow challengingly.

“That’s because your girlfriend is one of my oldest friends, Arc. I know know that if I killed you, she’d be coming after me with one of her fucking javelins or something.” Yang snorted as she got to work on Jaune’s car. “Head off whenever, man. I’ll take care of your girl here.”

Yang got to work on changing Jaune’s break pads and soon, felt a presence come near where she laid under the car.

“Jaune. I gotta warm ya…” Yang started, her tone half playful and half serious. “If I have to do this one more time within the month, I’m shoving your break pads up your fucking ass, Vomit Boy.”

“I thought that you said that you had a better bedside manner than this?” A smooth and feminine voice called.

“Mother fuc-ow!” Yang attempted to sit upright and slammed her forehead into the underside of the car and fell back with a whine. She carefully pulled herself from under the care and wiped her greasy hands on a rag before turning to glare at the offender.

“Good morning.” Blake Belladonna smirked at her. “Rough start, Yang?”

“Ugh. Great. She’s a morning person.” Yang rolled her eyes playfully. “You roll into town, break down and now you’re giving me attitude after I’ve been so helpful. Great. Thank you.”

“I’m sorry.” Blake’s smirk dropped almost instantly at Yang’s playful criticism. Yang mentally placed it alongside the word “darling” in hopes of avoiding making her customer uncomfortable. “Is… is this a bad time?”

“Nope. Jaune needs his break pads changed on a almost monthly basis. The guy’s got that much of a lead foot.” Yang rolled her eyes. “He can take a backseat for a bit. He’ll understand the circumstances.” Yang led Blake to her (admittedly messy) office and ushered her to a seat across from her and sighed, hating the news that she was about to drop on the poor girl. “I hate to do this to ya… but I checked your baby earlier this morning, Blake and, uh, it’s pretty bad.”

Blake’s expression remained even, but Yang watched her right hand grip her left bicep and roll her thumb into the crook of her elbow. An anxious tic. Her eyes darted to Blake’s ears and noticed how they rotated nervously. Her amber eyes darted around the room, seeming to search for an escape route before landing back on Yang as she inhaled shakily and ducked her head for a moment. Combine that with a recently bought car, her panic attack the night before and the hastily packed bag… Yang had no doubt that this girl had just come off of the highway from hell. Or maybe she was still trying to get off of it. Either way, it wasn’t any of Yang’s business. But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t help her.

“Okay.” Blake said, voice levelled as her thumb pressed firmly, almost too firmly it seemed, into her elbow. “What exactly are we looking at?”

“I- Okay. You have a blown head gasket. It keeps oil and water separated and its gone and failed. It happens in older cars a lot, unfortunately.” Yang said gently, keeping her voice soft. She loved repairing cars but God did she hate having to give bad news to good people in shitty situations. “It’s a very expensive thing to repair. In layman’s terms; you either need a new engine or to rebuild the engine from scratch. For your standard 5 litre 302 ci V8 engine to get a rebuild…without time and labour, it’s going to cost you about 13, 000 lien…” Yang sighed softly and internally winced at her next words. “And including labour time and labour… you’re looking at 22, 500 lien.”

“Oh.” Blake said quietly, her thumb definitely digging in too hard into her elbow. “R-right.” 

Yang felt her heart go out to the young woman as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, focusing on her breathing.

“Listen… I really wish that there was more I could do to help you.” Yang said softly, keeping careful eye contact with Blake. “Do you have anyone you can call for help? Parents? Friends? A partn-“

“No.” Blake interrupted shortly, a hint of fear entering her eyes as Yang mentioned a partner. “I have no one. No one that would want to help, anyway.”

“Sure you do.” Yang gave her a small half smile. Ah hell. Weiss was going to kick her ass for this. Whatever. It was Yang’s garage. If she wanted to help somebody, she could damn well help somebody. “Me.”

“W-what?” Blake’s amber eyes widened as her ears pulled back in shock.

“I want to help you.” Yang said simply, gently. “You’re obviously in a bad spot. Weiss and Ruby are always looking for hires. Do you have any skills that they could use while you’re staying there?”

“Uh- um.” Blake stammered slightly, obviously taken aback. “I’m- I’m an accountant.”

“Weiss has that handled herself.” Yang murmured before smiling. “But I don’t. I’m the only mechanic here so I don’t have time to deal with as much of the business side as I would like. If you want, I’ll let you work off your bill and you use whatever savings you have for whatever you need. Clothes, food, your stay at Ruby and Weiss’… it’ll take a few months but once down, you’ll be on your way. Or you can commute to wherever you’re trying to go and we can exchange numbers and sort something else out. Whatever you feel comfortable with, Blake. It’s your choice.”

Blake stared at her for a moment before turning her head and sniffing slightly. Yang turned her own head away and carefully placed a box of tissues near her and gave her a moment to sort herself out. It was clear that she despised being vulnerable. 

“I… guess I rolled into the right town.” Blake aid shakily. “I, um. I’ll work for you.”

“Okay. When do you want to start?”

“Honestly? Right now.” Blake’s lips lifted into a weak smile. “Because this office is a fucking travesty.”

“I… can’t even fight you on that.” Yang laughed gently as she looked around her. “Here’s hoping that you can help me out here.”

“I’m pretty sure that it’s the opposite way around.” Blake said softly, sending Yang a grateful smile and began quietly moving folders.

“Oh dang. You’re actually starting!” Yang rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “That’s not- you don’t-“

“I cope best when I’m working.” Blake said simply. “Knowing that this office is in this state will just have my fingers twitching as I wait.”

“I- Uh. Okay. A take charge kinda gal. I can respect that.” Yang teased gently as she stood up and walked out of the office. “Just… don’t push yourself, Blake. Take as many breaks as you need and let me know if you need you go back to the motel and rest, yeah? Your health, mental and physical, matters more than this office.”

The shocked and confused expression on Blake’s face tugged at Yang’s heart strings terribly. Even as she nodded, it was obvious that Blake wasn’t used to her wellbeing being considered. Just what had this woman gone through?

“I’ll be working on Jaune’s car so come find me if you need something.”

And so, both women got to work. Blake on the files and numbers and Yang on Jaune’s breaks. Yang was sure that she wouldn’t have any reason to hit her head this time…

“What the fuck kind of filing system is this?!” Yang jolted up at the sound of Blake’s very angry voice coming from her office. “Seriously, what the fuck?! I think my eyes are fucking bleeding!”

She was wrong.


	4. Publish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When hopeful author Blake Belladonna meets her potential publisher Yang Xiao Long, things go a little differently than she expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 - Publish
> 
> Eh. This one was a little difficult but hey, we got there!

“Blake Belladonna? Miss Xiao Long will see you now.”

Blake took a deep breath and picked up her folder and slowly walked into the room. Working with Dragon Publications, known for their LGBT+ friendly work ethic, was a potential dream come true. After being rejected from several other publications because of the LGBT+ themes in her book, Blake was starting to lose hope. But when her old friend from college offered to put her name forward to a friend, Blake immediately took the deal. 

Which is how she found herself approaching a desk with young blonde woman in a yellow button down shirt with rolled up sleeves, a loose tie, blonde hair and the most vibrant pair of lilac eyes that Blake had ever seen. The woman stood up as Blake approached and offered a warm and easy going smile. Blake felt her ears twitch curiously. 

“Hellooo!” She sang out playfully, a friendly glint in her eyes. “I’m Yang Xiao Long. You must be Blake Belladonna, right?”

“The one and only… to my knowledge.” Blake said calmly, quirking an eyebrow when Yang’s grin grew a little. 

“Nice.” Yang chuckled softly as they shook hands. Her right hand was almost cold, even with the leather glove covering it, Blake noticed. “Anyway, take a seat and let’s chat!”

“Uh… sure.” Blake said quietly as she sat down, watching as Yang moved to her seat. She was certainly energetic. “Um… here. I know I already sent my manuscript to you in an email but I thought that I’d bring along a physical copy, as well as a USB copy.”

“Somebody’s efficient.” Yang laughed softly, opening the folder and leaving through the pages briefly and carefully tucking the USB into her shirt pocket. She had a nice laugh, Blake decided. “Honestly, I appreciate it. Some… clients can be… difficult to work with.” It was obvious from her strained voice that Yang wanted to say something different but restrained herself.

“Well… I like to make things easy.” Blake said, almost anxiously. She needed this. “Hopefully everything will be up to your standards.”

“I’ve already read your manuscript and outline. I absolutely think that it’s going to be great, especially when we have a schedule to polish it up.” Yang smiled gently, reassuringly. “You’ve got a great premise with great characters. It’s got more heart and soul than a lot of the work that gets submitted to me… and I’m not just saying that so Weiss doesn’t kill me.” Yang added with a playful wink. 

“Weiss has a hit list a mile long. We all end up on it, one way or another.” Blake said with a quirked brow. 

“You knew her in college, right?” Yang suddenly grinned impishly. “Would you happen to be the Blake that set hers and Weiss’ dorm room on fire because she put a can of tuna in the microwave?”

“I-she-you!” Blake sputtered indignantly, her amber eyes narrowing at the woman across from her. “It was finals week! We were all sleep deprived!”

“If it helps…” Yang said with a grimace. “I tried to make a microwave casserole and exploded the damn thing.”

“How-“

“I was so tired that I put gunpowder into it and uh. Well… the rest is history, as they say.” Yang laughed.

“… why did you have gunpowder in your dorm room?”

“My roommate Vernal… kind of had a thing for antique guns. We kept out of each other’s way for the most part but apparently she decided to put the gunpowder in the kitchenette without telling me.”

“Uh… Okay. Wow. Yeah, you win.”

“Trust me.” Yang said dryly, rolling her eyes. “That’s an award that I’d gladly give back. The headmistress nearly killed me.”

Blake lifted her hand to her mouth and hid a giggle. Miss Yang Xiao Long was certainly a character, that was for sure. 

“Anyway, now that we’ve bonded over the fact that we’re both disasters in the kitchen, shall we get down to the nitty gritty?” Yang asked with a small smile as she pulled out paperwork. “The sooner I officially welcome you to Dragon Publications, the sooner we can talk about a timeframe and schedule.”

“I-wait. You’re accepting me?”

“…didn’t you get the confirmation email?”

“… what confirmation email?”

Blake stared in shock as Yang’s head slammed against the table and she let out a heavy groan. 

“Ugh. I’m so sorry about this! God, you must have been so anxious! I mean… you get a call to come and discuss your manuscript and you probably think it’s some test because you didn’t get a confirmation email and geez I’m rambling.” Yang sat up and pinched the bridge of her nose and gave Blake an apologetic smile. “We sent you an email confirming that we’ve accepted your manuscript. Once you complete the story fully and polish it up, if it’s to our standards; we’re going to publish you. Congratulations, Miss Blake Belladonna. You’re apart of Dragon Publications.”

Blake blinked numbly for a moment before dropping her face into hands. She honestly didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry. 

“Oh wow.” Blake murmured, her voice thick. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Um. Tha- thank you. So much.”

“No need.” Yang said softly, tilting her head slightly. “You’ve got a gift. I don’t know why nobody has snatched you up yet but I’m glad that they didn’t, Blake. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“I- yeah. You too.” Blake said, feeling slightly distant from the whole situation. It felt surreal. She couldn’t believe that she was actually being given a chance. “I won’t disappoint you.”

“I have no doubts about that, Blake. Now… the worst part of any job; paperwork.” Yang sighed dramatically. “And then I need to organise a new emailing system because I do not want some other poor soul coming in here all anxious about whether or not they’ve been accepted when I’ve already given them the all clear.”

Blake nodded and quietly paid attention as Yang went through and signed paperwork with her. By the time they said their farewells and Blake was getting in her car, she couldn’t help but wonder… what kind of path would Dragon Publications and Yang Xiao Long lead her down?


	5. Jockey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A challenge has been made and Blake’s never been one to back down from those.
> 
> But Yang’s left concerned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 5 - Jockey
> 
> Hope y’all like Beehaw because that’s what we got.

“C’mon now, Doll. This ain’t no city race. These here are real horse folk, none of ‘em city jockey types that yer used to riding with. Cardin’s gon’ wipe the floor wit’cha.”

Blake sighed wearily and looked at the cowgirl holding her horse. Even Gambol looked insulted, the black horse’s ears as pinned back as Blake’s own feline ones as she snorted.

“An’ ‘nother thin’” Yang said, casting a judgemental, lilac gaze over Gambol. “Yer horse ain’t gon’ do ya much good. She’s used to man-made roads ‘n tracks ‘n trails. Yer jus’ settin’ both yer selves up fer disappointment.”

“Listen, cowgirl…” Blake growled, her amber eyes narrowing. “Just because we’re not from around here, it doesn’t mean that we can’t give you all a run for your money. Winchester challenged me and I’ll be damned if I back down now. I’m not just some… some dumbass, city broad for you poke your fun at!”

“I- that’s not what I-“ Yang sighed and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply before meeting Blake’s gaze again. “I know yer not. I jus’… Winchester’s got a way of not playin’ by the rules. He plays real dirty. I’ve seen too many folks get badly hurt ‘cause of him. I don’ wan’ to see you get hurt, Blake. You or Gambol.”

“Yang… I appreciate that… but I’m built of tougher stuff than that.” Blake said, her scowl softening into a soft gaze. “I may not be country, but we city slickers aren’t as fragile as you think. And Winchester’s going to find that he challenged the wrong barmaid.” Blake finished with a smirk, reaching up to pull Yang’s hat off of her head and placed it on her own. “Trust me. That boy’s got a storm coming.”

“Goddamn.” Yang laughed softly, leaning forward and tipping her hat back from Blake’s forehead to kiss it. “I love it when you’re feisty.”

“Uh huh.” Blake grinned, playfully shoving Yang and walking to Gambol’s side and easily mounting the saddle. 

“Y’know… ladies ride side-saddle.”

“Lady? You must have me confused with Weiss.” Blake smirked down and took the reigns from Yang. “Weiss is a lady.”

“‘N what are you, Blake?”

“Me?” Blake laughed softly, watching as Yang stepped back and gave them room. “I’m the fucking storm.”

And with that, she sent a wink to the stunned cowgirl and urged Gambol forward into a trot, heading toward their starting point. Yang would meet her at the finish line and, hopefully, see what this city slicker was capable of.


	6. Pest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Yang continue to be oblivious, much to Weiss’ distress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 - Pest
> 
> Yeesh. This one was a pain but here ya are!

“Yang. You’re, honestly, such a pest. It’s a miracle that Blake even puts up with you.”

“Oh please.” Yang snorted indignantly at Weiss, glancing over at Blake as she walked into the cafeteria. Her eyes darted around the room until they met Yang’s, her amber gaze softening as a smile formed on her face as she made her way over.

“Seriously, Blake must have the patience of a saint!” Weiss continued, crossing her arms, not knowing that Blake was sneaking up behind her. “I feel bad for her.”

“Save the sympathy for somebody who needs it, Ice Queen.” 

Weiss let out a shrill yelp, her spoon flying off and hitting poor Jaune in the head.

“So…” Blake smirked as she sat on Yang’s right. “Why does Weiss feel bad for me?”

“Because I’m a pest.” Yang said with a dramatic pout, dropping her chin to Blake’s shoulder and staring up at her with a kicked puppy dog expression. “Blake… do you think I’m a pest?”

“Yes.” Blake said calmly, reaching up and patting Yang’s cheek playfully. “But I wouldn’t have you any other way. Weiss is just a stick in the mud.”

Yang grinned and stuck her tongue out at Weiss before she gave Blake a friendly squeeze around her shoulders and pulled back. Yang, however, didn’t go too far and kept her arm draped over Blake’s shoulder and Blake leaned into her side slightly.

“Oh Brothers, help me. They’re so blind.” 

Yang quirked an eyebrow at Weiss when she heard her mutter under her breath and saw looking at her and Blake with a look of pure exasperation before huffing and returning to her breakfast. Yang merely shrugged it off before turning to Blake and asking her about an upcoming test.

What could Weiss possibly have to be so exasperated about? Who was blind? Them? What were they blind about?


	7. Colour Blind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a partially colour blind Blake must team up with a new partner, she finds herself drawn to the two shades that she has an easier time processing; yellow and purple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 - Colour Blind
> 
> This one was inspired by a headcanon that was recently shared with me in a discord that I’m a part of.
> 
> Also, partly based on the theory that Ozpin yeeted the students in batches and that Blake wasn’t in Yang’s, opting to wait until she came across someone that she wanted to partner with.

When Blake landed in the Emerald Forest, she quickly made her way into a high tree and perched, her ears rotating under her bow as the sounds of the forest (and her new peers) sounded around her. Thus far, she didn’t see a single person in her batch of students that she’d be willing to partner up with. She had heard several of them make horribly racist remarks about the out faunus students and wanted to stay as far away from them as possible. The others? Either their weapons were too similar to her own or Blake recognised their fighting style and knew that they wouldn’t be compatible.

Plus, nearly all of their colour schemes required her to focus more energy on picking them out. Being partially colour blind was a curse at times. Especially when trying to find your partner amongst a seemingly similar coloured environment.

And so… she waited.

////////////////////////////////

Blake was jumping through the trees when she heard the sound of gunfire. It sounded like a shotgun. 

Looking up, she watched as a yellow blur passed by. Now that was a colour that she could see clear as day. Blake bit her lip. She remembered the kind, if somewhat… awkwardly enthusiastic girl from the night before. Her blonde hair and kind, purple eyes came to mind. In a world where colours were difficult, yellow and purple were ones that she saw clearly and as such, was drawn to. Blake tilted her head when the gunfire sounded again. The girl, Yang, sounded like she was using her weapon as part of her landing strategy. 

“Might as well go see what she’s capable of.” Blake murmured to herself as she made her way into the yellow blur’s direction.

Some time later, Blake managed to track her down. She was wandering through the forest, calling out. Honestly, she may have well have been a sitting buffet. No sense of stealth at all. Blake kept her distance, circling around her and trying to get a read on Yang and her weapon.

She soon saw what Yang was capable of as a pair of Ursai attacked. Yang avoided them nimbly, laughing and taunting them. Well… until one of them managed to cut her hair.

‘Note to self; stay away from her hair.’ Blake thought to herself in mild amusement as Yang lit on fire, her eyes shifting to a dangerous red. ‘Hmm. That must be her semblance. Fire based? It’s definitely interesting. Does it give her added power?’ Blake wondered as Yang struck, expertly blocking and dodging the Grimm’s strikes and placing hits of her own. ‘She knows how to fight. What parts of her body is going to make the best impact in any location. She’s short-tempered but she’s smart about it.’ Blake watched in awe before shaking her head and moving behind the last remaining Grimm. ‘Now this is more like it.’

Blake felt her lips twitch into a smirk as she sent Gambol Shroud into the final Ursa’s back, watching as it fell to the ground. She felt her smirk grow smug as she felt Yang’s gaze switch to her and pulled on her ribbon, effortlessly sheathing Gambol Shroud before looking up and purposefully making eye contact with Yang, who seemed both impressed and amused.

“I coulda taken him.”

Blake tilted her head curiously at Yang. Her yellow theme and her eyes stood out against the rest of the world, glowing brightly. If Blake ever needed to find her quickly, it’d be a piece of cake. 

“Then you’ll have no problem keeping up.” Blake said with a quirked brow and a smile as she turned around. She was relieved to hear Yang’s footsteps and feel her presence join her as she made her way through the forest.

“Pfft. No way.” Yang laughed easily, grinning at her happily. “You ready for this… partner?”

Partner?

“Naturally.”

Yeah. That sounded right.


	8. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Blake and Yang are guarding the people of Mantle, Blake wonders where hope can be found during these dark times.
> 
> She soon gets her answer in the shape of a young visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 8 - Hope
> 
> Can I talk about how worried I am for JNR? Because they have me very concerned.

Hope.

Now, that was something that was getting harder to find by the day. Hell, it was getting harder to find by the minute. Salem and her forces were still a major threat. Her team, her friends, were all tired but they had to keep patrolling to keep the citizens of Mantle safe. 

Blake looked around her. She was surrounded by Mantle citizens that they had managed to herd into a warehouse for warmth and security. Small, strategic fires had been lit around, keeping groups of people warm. She could see Ren keeping his distance from his own partner, a sight that she had never thought that she would see. It broke her heart seeing Nora’s devastated face. It wasn’t helped by the fact that Jaune kept pacing. Team JNR seemed divided and it ripped through Blake’s heart. She had been in that position herself not too long ago, after all.

Meanwhile, it seemed that the bonds of team RWBY were stronger than ever. Ruby and Weiss, along with Penny, were currently patrolling the streets while Blake and Yang kept watch over the warehouse. Nobody else seemed in any shape to do so. Not with team JNR struggling and Qrow, Robyn And Oscar missing and possibly dead. Fortunately, her and Yang’s partnership seemed stronger than ever so that was at least one less thing to worry about.

Blake glanced over at her partner. She was leaning against the other side of the door way, both of them guarding it carefully. Her expression was firm, lilac eyes determined as always. She was covered in bruises and scratches and she looked so tired… but still, she stood. She truly was strength… wasn’t she?

“You okay?” Yang’s voice cut into her thoughts, her brow creasing in concern as she looked at Blake. 

“I’m fine. Just… thinking.” Blake said softly, her gaze moving back to Jaune’s team. “I’m worried about them.”

“Yeah.” Yang said quietly. “Maybe… we could talk to them? If you take Ren, I’ll take Nora. Ruby could talk to Jaune. Leader to leader.”

“I think we have to.” Blake said shakily, running her hand through her short hair. “We can’t afford to be divided. Not now. It can do too much damage and we can’t- we can’t afford that!”

“I know, Blake.” Yang said softly. “But-“

“Excuse me. I’m terribly sorry if I’m interrupting but… my daughter wanted to speak with you, Huntresses?”

Blake shared a surprised look with Yang before they both nodded and smiled at the tired, pale-faced woman. They watched as she reached behind her and gently guided a young human girl with black hair and brown eyes forward. She held a piece of paper in her trembling little hands and both women immediately knelt to the ground in front of her, bringing themselves to her level.

“Hey, sweetie. What’s wrong?” Yang said gently, her voice soft and warm. It made Blake bite back a sigh. She was so good with kids. 

“M-my name’s Azure.” The girl stuttered lightly. “Can- can I ask what your names are?” She looked back at her mother, who smiled encouragingly.

“My name’s Yang. This is Blake.” Yang said calmly as Blake gave the girl a respectful bow of her head. “Did you need something?”

“How- How are you so brave?” Azure’s eyes were wide with awe as she gazed between them. 

“Brave?” Yang asked curiously. “What do you mean, kiddo?”

“You’re not scared of anything! You take down the monsters like nothing!”

“Just because we’re brave, it doesn’t mean that we’re not scared.” Blake said softly, earning the attention of both Yang and the little girl. Her ears pinned in embarrassment for a moment before she continued. “It’s… okay to be scared. It doesn’t make you any less brave than us.”

“Really?” Azure asked, sounding unsure as she gripped her paper tightly. “You think I’m brave?”

“Of course.” Blake said gently, suddenly reminded of another little girl. One with cat ears and hopes and dreams. One who wanted to change the world but didn’t know how. “You know… coming over here to talk to us must have been really scary, huh? I don’t think that I would have been that brave when I was your age. You might even be braver than me!” Blake leaned in conspiratorially and stage whispered. “You might even be braver than Yang.”

The little girl gasped in delight and looked back at her mother with glee. She heard Yang make a small noise in her throat and turned to see Yang watching her admiringly. She felt her cheeks flush and quickly turned back to the girl.

“Sweetie? Don’t you have something for the nice ladies?” 

Blake tried not to cringe at the word ladies. It wasn’t… bad. She just didn’t feel a connection to it.

“Um. Here! I made you this!”

Blake carefully took the paper and felt her eyes widen in shock. It was a coloured pencil drawing of the team standing in RWBY formation. And written above the team in big, scrawling letters were words “My Heroes.” Her mother must have packed an entertainment kit to keep Azure occupied during the evacuation and distract her. The girl had chosen to draw the team that guided her family to safety. 

“This…” Blake cleared her throat roughly and passed it to Yang who made a noise of surprise. “This is really beautiful. You’re a very talented artist, Azure.”

“We’ll show the others when they come back.” Yang’s voice sounded thick with emotion too. “Thank you, kiddo. This means a lot to us.”

Azure grinned brightly and giggled, running back to her mother and waving at them as her mother guided her away, chatting her mother’s ear off. Despite the fear and darkness surrounding them, a little girl was given a small moment of joy and excitement as she got to meet the people that she called “heroes.” There wasn’t much that they could do to cheer the people up, but Blake was immensely glad that they could give this one child a moment of joy. 

“Oh, my heart.” Yang said with a watery laugh. “That was so sweet.”

“That’s what we’re fighting for.” Blake said softly as she and Yang gazed down at the drawing. “These kids still have hope that their Huntresses and Huntsmen will keep them safe.”

“Then… lets do our best to not disappoint them.” Yang murmured, wrapping an arm over Blake’s shoulders when they stood, pulling her close.

“I think that… that’s all we can do.” Blake sighed, leaning into Yang and tucking her nose into her neck for a moment. 

Hope was getting harder to find. But perhaps, it could be found in the eyes of the smaller, more honest souls that they had sworn to protect.


	9. Reptile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake brings a small visitor into the dorm.
> 
> Yang is not happy about this development.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 9 - Reptile 
> 
> Look, I just love the idea of Blake being down to handle all sorts of reptiles and spiders while Yang would rather just... not.
> 
> Meanwhile, Blake wants to stay far away from horses and dogs.

“Whatcha got there, Blake?” Yang asked curiously as Blake walked into their Beacon dorm room with a small box.

“Oh! Hi, Yang.” Blake smiled at her warmly. “I found this poor baby dehydrated and heat stressed in the garden. I couldn’t just leave him so… I brought him up to give him a safe place to recover.”

“Aw!” Yang cooed at her friend and got up to peak in the box. She was expecting a bird or something of that nature. “That’s so swe-EET!” Yang yelped, jumping back at the sight of a brown lizard at the bottom of the box. “Ew!”

“Don’t yell. You’re going to scare the poor thing.” Blake scolded gently as she grabbed a water bottle and poured it into a small dish she pulled from her bag, placing it next to the lizard, who happily moved into the dish and drank it. “Don’t worry about Yang. She’s really sweet once you get to know her.” 

Yang stared at her friend blankly. Blake… was baby talking a reptile. A slimy, scaly reptile. Like it was a dog.

“Aw!” Blake cooed, a delighted smile on her face. “Look at your little face! Are you just the cutest little thing? Yes, you are. You’re the cutest little thing.”

Yang blinked. What was happening? Did her head get hit too hard when she sparred with Pyrrha? Was Yang losing her mind? 

“Yes, you’re the bestest boy, yes you are.”

Yang felt her jaw drop. Blake never used that sort of phrasing. She liked proper grammar and spelling! She almost broke her own scroll when Yang texted her for the first time and had given Yang a rather long lecture on proper text etiquette.

“Blake. That’s a lizard.”

“A very cute lizard.”

“No such thing.” Yang said gruffly, crossing her arms and huffing. “Please get that thing out of our room.”

“Not until he’s feeling better.” Blake said calmly, quirking an eyebrow at Yang. “And he’s not a thing. He’s an important part of the ecosystem, thank you very much.”

“A slimy part.”

“Reptiles are not slimy! Have you ever touched one?”

“No, because I keep my distance from them like a sane person.” Yang said sharply, making a face at the box. “Just how are you so calm about this?”

“I grew up with reptiles and spiders. I was always bringing them home to my poor mothe-“ 

Blake abruptly cut herself off, almost seeming to flinch at the mention of her mum. Yang could see the tell tale shift in her bow, watched as her amber eyes darkened. Any and all previous delight over the little creature has vanished. She felt her heart crack open slightly. 

“Blake?” Yang called softly, watching her partner with concern.

“I- never mind.” Blake murmured, face downcast. “Just… its just until poor guy can recuperate and then he’ll be in his way.”

Yang frowned softly and gave a gentle sigh. This… happened sometimes. Blake would be talking and would then accidentally slip up and bring up her past or a fact about her home and immediately shut down. These slip ups happened more often when it was just her and Yang. It always left Yang regretting that there wasn’t more that she could do for her friend.

“Do… you know what kind of lizard it- I mean he is?” 

“Um. Yeah. Why do you ask?” Blake asked, a confused frown marring her face as she turned to Yang.

“What is he?” Yang asked softly, tilting her head and paying attention to Blake. If reptiles and spiders were a part of Blake’s childhood and as such, were important to her, then they were important to Yang, too.

Blake was hesitant at first but eventually, a bit of the light from before entered her eyes as she talked. And Yang knew that she’d do her best to keep it there.

Even if it meant holding the damn thing.


	10. Appearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Yang have a discussion. Blake, once again, realises just how much freedom she has with Yang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 10 - Appearance 
> 
> Hoo boy. This one is a little close to home. While I identify with she/her pronouns, as well as they/them, being called a girl/woman/lady/whatever doesn’t feel right. There is no connection. And I don’t connect with being a guy/man/boy either. I’m in gender limbo at this point, just like Blake.
> 
> And that’s okay.

Blake ran her hand through her long hair and puffed out her cheeks, frowning as she stared at her reflection. While she didn’t deny that she looked… nice in her crop top, it didn’t feel… right. But at least they were getting a change of clothes thanks to the Atlas military so maybe the weird feeling would go away.

‘Yeah, right.’ Blake thought, making a face at herself in the mirror. ‘That feeling has been there for years.’ 

She frowned at her body. Her shoulders were a little too slender for her liking. Her jaw not quite as sharp as she wished. Her clothes felt too much… like a girl? It was the only way she could thing to describe it.

“I didn’t take you for being so vain.” 

Blake looked in the reflection to see Yang leaning against the doorframe to their room, a playful smile on her face. 

“Not that I can blame you. It is a really pretty view.” Yang added teasingly.

Blake tilted her head and frowned slightly. It wasn’t like she disliked being called pretty. Especially not by Yang. But it didn’t… connect as much as she would like it to.

“Pretty?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, Blake, but you’re a very pretty lady.” Yang snorted, almost seeming amused. “You don’t think so?”

“That’s… not it.” Blake sighed, her frown growing deeper as she But back the urge to cringe. Lady. Girl. Woman. It didn’t feel right. It felt like a ill fitted shoe. It didn’t feel like Blake. “I don’t know. It’s pretty stupid.”

“Nothing about you could ever be stupid.” Yang said softly as she approached Blake and slowly put an arm over her shoulders, giving her time to duck out if she wished. “Do… you not feel comfortable with me calling you pretty?”

“I… no.” Blake shrugged, crossing her arms and leaning into Yang. “It’s… something else.”

“Hey, you don’t have to talk about if you’re not ready.” Yang said gently, her thumb rubbing circles into Blake’s shoulder. “I’ll be right here if you’re ever ready to talk.”

“I just… don’t want any of you to look at me differently.” Blake muttered, letting her eyes wash over their reflections. It felt better to look at with Yang there. But Yang tended to make things better in general, so that wasn’t a surprise.

“Impossible.” Yang said firmly, using her free hand to gently tilt Blake’s head to her. Blake swallowed thickly at the expression in her lilac eyes; affectionate and kind, patient and warm. “You’re you. Nothing could change that.”

“Ah… right. Okay.” Blake let out a shaky breathy and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and meeting Yang’s concerned gaze. “Have you ever felt… wrong in your body? Or how people view you, I guess?”

“Uh… no. No, I have not.” Yang’s said carefully, tilting her head slightly. “But I’m guessing you have?”

“Yes.” Blake flinched as she said it. “The whole…” She gesticulates with her hand helplessly. “Being a girl thing just doesn’t… it doesn’t feel right! Like… being called a-a woman or a lady or whatever just feels so… not me. There’s no connection to it! But there’s no connection to being a guy either!” Blake felt frustrated tears well up and quickly wiped them away. “I feel like I’m stuck in gender fucking limbo or something.”

“Okay. You don’t feel like a guy or a girl.” Yang’s said calmly. 

“No.”

“And me calling you a pretty lady just now made you uncomfortable?”

“…yes.”

“Okay. Thank you. I’ll remember that.” 

Blake pulled away and stared at Yang blankly for a moment in disbelief. 

“That’s it? You don’t want an explanation? You’re not… not freaked out? I mean, you knew me as girl for months, Yang! Aren’t you bothered?”

“Why would I be bothered?” Yang asked softly, a small smile on her face. “If you feel uncomfortable with feminine titles, then I’m not going to use them. Yeah, sure. I thought you were a girl this whole time but I was clearly wrong. You tell me what you like and don’t like. What you’re comfortable and uncomfortable with. I’ll respect it.”

Blake stared, almost in disbelief at her partner’s words. Adam had never been so understanding of her feeling like this. He had never allowed her to even think about exploring the idea that she might not fit the binary norm. She had never felt free enough to explore who she was and how she dressed.

But this was Yang. And Yang would never expect her to fit in a pre-made box.

“Yang.” Blake murmured thickly, throwing herself into Yang’s arms, causing her to stumble back a step and let out a surprised grunt. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me for treating you with respect and listening to you. That’s just the bare minimum, Blake.” Yang paused for a moment before speaking up again, still soft and gentle. “Unless… should I still call you Blake? What about pronouns?”

“No, I still like Blake.” She murmured in response, pulling back and stepping away from Yang with a small, grateful smile, wiping touched tears from her eyes. “And… I guess I feel connected to she/her? But they/them sounds okay too, I think.” 

“Thank you.” Yang said softly, gently taking Blake’s hands in her own. “And thank you for trusting me with this. I… get that it must have been scary but… this changes nothing. You’re still my partner. You’re still my best friend.” Yang paused to grin cheekily at her and butted their foreheads together. “And you’re still my favourite gremlin.”

“Hey!”

“My point is…” Yang chuckled, her thumbs rubbing Blake’s knuckles. “That I still care about you. A lot. Regardless of your pronouns or how you identify. What you what to be called or how you dress… it doesn’t change how important you are to me.” Yang murmured sweetly. “And I promise you that the others won’t change how they see you either. If they do, I’ll kick their butts.”

Blake giggled and shifted her head to nuzzle at Yang’s nose gratefully.

“Thank you.”

“No thanks needed.” Yang reminded gently, before tilting her head to the side a little. “But you’re welcome, Handsome.”

Blake felt her amber eyes widen before a wide, flattered grin spread across her lips and a blush warmed her cheeks. Her ears perked forward in interest… Now that felt right. 

“Ahh… so handsome’s okay?” Yang said teasingly. “Now I know how to get you to blush.”

“I-you-Ugh.” Blake huffed a laugh, feeling much lighter than she had in a while. “Yes. Handsome is okay.”

“Good to know...” Yang smirked playfully. “Handsome.”

Blake felt her heart stutter and her cheeks warm up again, both flattered and touched that Yang was so readily changing her language with her. 

“Dork.” Blake murmured, her voice full of adoration as she tugged Yang down by her collar and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “But… can… you keep this to yourself for a bit? I don’t know if I’m ready to tell the others yet.”

“That’s your story, Blake. You’re the narrator.” Yang said softly, cheeks flushing slightly. “You’re the only one who gets to tell it.”

“When I do… would you be there?”

“You don’t even have to ask, Blake. I’ll be there as much as you need me.”

Blake smiled almost shyly before moving into Yang’s arms again and burying her nose into her neck. 

This is what it should always have been. Trust. Care. Respect. Safety. Home. Freedom. Everything that Yang was and would always be.


	11. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the storm rages on, Blake and Yang come to an agreement on sleeping arrangements.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 11 - Storm

Blake shivered as she looked out of the safehouse’s kitchen window, watching as the storm outside raged on. With heating down, the storm was hitting Mantle hard; part of why she had just watched Ruby and Weiss leave to run a route through the city, lighting fires and checking on people. It was all they could do until they had a solid plan.

“Hey, you.” 

Blake jumped slightly as Yang’s jacket was draped over her bare shoulders, her own jacket still in her room. 

“Hey.” Blake whispered, giving her partner a small smile as she nestled into Yang’s jacket, subtly inhaling the scent that was so uniquely Yang. 

“Can’t sleep either, huh?” Yang asked softly, curling her arm around Blake’s waist and tugging her close.

“No. Got too used to sharing a room with you three, I guess.” Blake mumbled, leaning her head against Yang’s neck. 

“Well… it’s not like you have to sleep alone. I mean…” Yang cleared her throat awkwardly, her fingers twitching nervously at Blake’s side. “You could always… y’know… bunk with me? If you want.”

“It is an effective way of staying warm.”

“Yep.”

“And you’re basically a space heater…”

“I am.”

“And your snores could drown out any storm.”

“Also tru-Hey!” Yang huffed indignantly and squeezed Blake tightly. “Gremlin.” She murmured against Blake’s head, affectionately squeezing her. “So…?”

“I… think I’ll take you up on that offer, Yang.” Blake said softly, smiling tiredly up at her friend. 

“Ah-right! Yeah, okay.” Yang grinned nervously at her. “Uh… your room or mine?”

Blake quirked an eyebrow at Yang and watched as her face slowly turned red.

“That… came out much differently than I meant it to.” Yang mumbled as she covered her face with a hand, embarrassment clear in her voice.

“Dork.” Blake laughed softly and moved away from Yang and tugged her in the direction of her room, her own cheeks heating up. 

As they settled beside each other, with Yang hesitantly curling a protective arm over her waist, Blake found it much easier to fall asleep. 


	12. Singer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When her best friend Sun Wukong decides to drag out to a bar one Saturday night, Blake Belladonna finds herself spellbound by Yang Xiao Long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 12 - Singer 
> 
> I write a lot of confident Blake and disaster Yang so let’s flip that up a little, shall we?

“Blake. Could ya at least pretend to be happy to be hangin’ out with your best friend?”

Blake glowered at Sun as he used his tail to bring his beer bottle to his lips and take a sip, all while smirking at Blake.

“Funny. I don’t see Ilia anywhere.” Blake huffed, her ears flat against her head. 

“Geez. I drag out of your misery and not even a thank you?”

“Drag me out of- Sun!” Blake snapped, her amber eyes narrowing at the blonde man across from her. “I don’t need you to drag me out of anything! I’m fine!”

“Blake, you’ve been hiding in your apartment for months.” Sun said with a heavy sigh, concern entering his blue eyes. “Ever since you… left him, you’ve been stuck in a rut. It’s like you’ve forgotten what an awesome person you are. You need to get out, meet somebody, see what the word has to offer and find yourself again, man.” Sun glanced around the room and grinned when his eyes landed on a woman their age with white hair. “What about Snow White over there? She’s pretty.”

“Pretty short. I’ll break my back trying to kiss her.”

“What about him?” Sun gestured to a tall, dark skinned human man sitting in a group with a rabbit faunus, a red headed human man with pale eyes and a human woman with aviator glasses on. 

“Too tall. I like people closer to my height, thanks.” Blake said dryly, effortless shooting down Sun’s attempts at being her wingman. “Maybe I’m destined to be alone. Being alone is great. I like-“

“Helloooo!”

They both turned to the stage as a voice interrupted them and saw a blonde human woman with lilac eyes and an easy grin standing with a microphone. She wore a leather jacket over a white shirt, ripped jeans and combat boots and wore a orange scarf around her neck. Blake felt her mouth drop, her ears pricking forward with intrigue.

“Hey, so for the newbies in the audience…” the woman’s gaze drifted over the crowd and seemed to pause in Blake, a surprised and curious look entering her eyes before she grinned and winked at her. “I’m Yang. I sing here on a weekly basis and I’m sure that I’ll have you coming back for more. I mean… look at me!”

Blake felt a finger press under her chin, forcing her jaw closed gently and blindly batted at Sun, refusing to take her eyes off of the woman in front of her. 

“I’m kidding.” Yang chuckled, rolling her eyes as one or two men booed her. Blake couldn’t understand why. It’s not like Yang was wrong. “Look, if you can’t handle a confident woman, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Either shut up and put up, or get out.”

Blake snorted, her left ear flicking in amusement. Yang certainly had a character, that was for sure.

“Anyway…” Yang cleated her throat and smiled charmingly at the crowd. “Let’s get down to business-“

“To defeat the Huns!” Sun shouted, earning the dry stare of the woman on stage and a smack in the shoulder from Blake. 

“You’re embarrassing your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend! She’s single! Very single!” Sun called again, yelping when Blake sent her heeled boot into his shin. “Well, you are!”

“Single, huh?” Yang laughed softly, a slight smirk crossing her face as she made eye contact with a now flushed Blake. “Good to know.”

Blake let out a nervous giggle when Yang winked at her again and went on to discuss the song that she was about to sing.

“Alright, So… “I Burn” was written when the last owner of this joint and I got into a fistfight. It went great for me. Not so great for him.” The crowd, including Blake, let out a laugh. “But it’s a fun song so if you’ve heard it before, feel free to join in.”

And so, the woman’s set began and Blake found herself spellbound. Yang sang and danced around the stage, getting into the lyrics and music easily. Blake couldn’t look away. Not until Yang’s set ended and she walked backstage.

“Damn. Somebody’s got your attention.” Sun teased, poking by Blake with his tail. “And she looks close to your height. Maybe an inch or three taller so no excuses, Blake.”

“Shut. Up.” Blake growled, kicking her foot into Sun’s shin as a waitress walked over and smiled down at Blake sweetly and handed her a glass of water. “Uh… I didn’t-“

“No. But Yang wanted me to bring it so here you are.” The waitress said calmly, placing a slip of paper next to it and walking away as Blake lifted the letter and nearly choked.

‘Hiya, single lady! Thought you might need this since you looked a little thirsty. It comes with a complimentary number; mine. Call me. I’d love to get to know you. 

Yang.’

Blake gaped at the paper before snorting indignantly. Unbelievable. 

“Damn.” Sun said as he ripped the paper from her hands and read it. “You’re gonna call her, right? It’s, like, destiny or something, dude.”

“None of your business.” Blake snorted as she took a sip of her water, smirking when Sun groaned. 

What he didn’t know was that Blake had already planned on calling the singer… even if she was a little cocksure. 


	13. Waterfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake’s thoughts during the fight with Adam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 13 - Waterfall
> 
> Not much going on here, mates. Just thought I’d try to write through Blake’s perspective during the Adam fight.

“Tell me, Blake… how does it feel to be alone?”

Blake inhaled deeply and focused on her semblance, waiting for the perfect moment to activate it as she stared up at her old part- no. Adam had never been her partner. A mentor, yes. A captor, even more so. But he had never been a partner. Not like the owner of the motor bike that she could hear rumbling in the distance, getting closer and closer. Not like Yang.

Blake counted in her head as Adam readjusted his grip and sent his blade down into her scar, just as she activated a clone. She darted over to her cleaver and picked it up, hand on her side. She may leave an empty copy to take the brunt of the hit… but she still felt the strike. She had still felt the blade sink into her hip as she fazed out. It brought back painful memories… but this time, she fought against the instincts that the man standing across from her drilled into her and stared him down.

“I’m not alone!” She said with full conviction, shortly before the sound of the bike roared overhead. Blake watched as Yang, without hesitation, launched her beloved bike at Adam, sending him to the ground as the bike fell into the river. Blake felt a burst of pride in her chest as Yang landed, standing up and glowing at Adam as he growled at her. But despite the pride she felt for her partner, she couldn’t help but remember what had happened the last time they had tried to fight him.

Blake felt her side throb painfully, the memories of that night becoming too much in that moment as she watched her past and future glare each other down. She let out a grunt of pain, falling down to one knee, breathing harshly. 

“It’s okay. Catch your breath for a second. I can hold him off.” Yang said, her voice soft and her lilac gaze softer. 

“She’s right, Blake. It’s okay. We have… unfinished business.” Blake felt her jaw clench as Adam spoke, a mockery of both Yang’s words and her gentleness. 

There was still a part of her that wanted to scream at Yang to run. That she wasn’t worth all of Yang’s sacrifices. That Yang would be better off if she left her there… but she pushed that part away. Yang made those sacrifices because she saw something in Blake worth fighting for. To Yang, Blake was worth the sacrifices that she had made and she wanted Blake by her side. For as much as Blake had chosen her, Yang had chosen her right back. She had shown that time and time again. 

And Blake trusted her. If Yang said she could hold him off until Blake caught her breath, then Blake would believe her. She knew that neither of them could win against him on their own. He was too powerful, with more experience than they. 

But together, they stood a chance. Together, they would protect their own and defend what they had grown. 

“She’s not protecting me, Adam!” And it was as they stood in front of the waterfall, hand in hand as Adam snarled at them, that Blake found the words she had wished she had back at Brunswick farms. “And I’m not protecting her…” Blake and Yang stood together now, united and stronger than ever before; because they had something that Adam didn’t. “We’re protecting each other.”

After all… love, trust and forgiveness will always trump spite, hatred and rage. 


	14. Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two friends. Some laughs. What more could you ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 14 - Spell
> 
> Happy Valentines Day from Australia, y’all! 
> 
> And if you don’t celebrate it... then happy 14th, I guess 😅

Blake smirked as her best friend (and long time rival) ran up to her with a bright grin.

“Belladonna!” Yang yelled, putting her hands on Blake’s waist and hoisting her up and twirling her through the air with a laugh, earning a surprised squeal from Blake at the sudden change in height. “You kicked Ice Queen’s butt! I’m so proud of you!”

“Xiao Long.” Blake retorted teasingly, gently cuffing Yang’s shoulder as she set her back down. They both turned to the giant holo-screen to watch Blake go up against Weiss Schnee, their beyblades flying towards each other and battling relentlessly. Blake’s beyblade, Gambol, eventually won out and Weiss’s was sent flying out of the ring; much to the heiress’s chagrin. “I did kick her butt, didn’t I?”

“Oh please. Did you see her face?” Yang giggled, poking Blake’s cheek playfully. “It was like you cast a spell of rage on her or something.”

“A spell of- Yang!” Blake snorted, shoving Yang playfully, her ears flicking in amusement. “You are such a dork.”

“Would a dork have bought you a present?” Yang smiled charmingly as she handed Blake a carefully wrapped gift, pulling a soft coo from Blake as she took the gift.

“What? Yang! You didn’t have to get me anything!” Blake smiled, touched that Yang would do such a thing. “You know that you’re all the gift I need.” She added cheekily, smirking at her friend’s blush.

“Just shut your face and open it!” Yang was practically vibrating with excitement. “Come on! I want to see your face! You’re gonna love it!”

Blake laughed softly and carefully opened the box, humming quietly to herself. Her humming was cut short by her own gasp as she stared down at her gift… which stared back up at her like a mirror.

“What the heck?” Blake whispered, severely confused and mildly terrified. Sitting at the bottom of the box… was a beyblade… a beyblade… with her own face on it. “Yang…”

“It’s a bey-Blake!” Yang said, snorting at her own joke, helpless snickers leaving her lips, as Blake mildly contemplated murder.

“Why. Are. YOU LIKE THIS?!” She yelled, flailing her arms out and stepping away from Yang in frustration. “A bey- a freaking bey-Blake?! A bey. Blake! A bey-Blake!” Blake ranted, her ears pinned against her head in irritation. She adores Yang. Truly, she did. But her best friend occasionally had a tendency to make puns that made her want to crawl under a rock.

“Aw, I’m sorry.” Yang grinned mischievously at her. “Did I make your head spin?”

Blake blinked blankly at her for a moment before picking up the bey-Blake and throwing it Yang, hitting her in the centre of her forehead and earning a surprised yelp.

“Hey!”

“Hey, yourself!” Blake snorted. “Technically, I could sue for using my likeness on unauthorised merchandise.” She quipped as she walked away, huffing when Yang draped an arm over her shoulder and pouted at her.

“But you wouldn’t.”

“No. I care about Ruby too much to do such a thing.”

“Hey! What about me?!”

Blake simply giggled and pulled Yang closer by her waist, headbutting her temple affectionately.

Yang could be a complete dork at times. But that was part of why Blake adored her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you ask... yes. I did write and reference Bey-Blake. 
> 
> Why? Because some members of a discord server suggested it ages ago for if I ever did a month of prompts. I forgot about it. They... *heavy sigh* they didn’t. 
> 
> So this one is my gift to this discord server. I hope you’re happy because I don’t know how I feel about this.
> 
> On the plus side, this is the closest thing to cursed content that you’ll ever get! So yay!


	15. Jungle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake continues to show a fondness for reptiles and spiders. 
> 
> Yang does not.
> 
> Blake, however, is adorable when she gets excited about these animals.
> 
> Yang is just doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 15 - Jungle
> 
> I don’t know why I like this headcanon so much 😅

“I know that it was my idea to check the jungle exhibit out but… I change my mind. Let’s go home.”

Yang let out a displeased whine as Blake snorted and marched by her and made her way to the reptiles… specifically, the snake handlers.

“You go home. I’m going to check out the snakes.” 

Yang sighed, rolling her eyes. She never would have thought that Blake had such a soft spot for jungle based creatures but here they were. Though, she couldn’t deny that Blake was kind of cute when she got excited. Even if it was over a creepy tarantula.

“That’s a Menagerian Hog Nosed Sand Boa, right?” Blake asked, her amber eyes lighting up as she watched the snake curiously. “Yang, come look at this. They’re fascinating! They evolved to have a blunter snout, almost pig shaped, so that they can dig into the sand and stay safe from both extreme heat and predators.”

“You should be doing my job!” The handler, a woman with light brown hair and brown eyes grinned excitedly. “I love seeing kids who have a passion for wildlife like this little girl here. Isn’t she a beauty?!”

‘And I thought Nora was enthusiastic.’ Yang thought dryly as Blake agreed, gently running her hand down the snake’s back, a soft smile on her face.

“You wanna hold her?”

“If that’s okay?”

“Of course it’s okay!”

Yang watched as Blake tenderly took the snake and held it with gentle firmness in her hands, holding it up and letting it flick its tongue out to her nose.

“Oh… you’re a pretty girl.” Blake cooed softly, a light giggle leaving her lips as the snake stretched out and bumped its snout into Blake’s nose.

“Ooh! She likes you!” The woman said playfully, a bright and toothy grin on her face. “You’ve done this before, eh?”

“I… grew up in… an area that has a lot of reptiles and spiders.” Blake said carefully, her nose scrunching as she debated her words. “I spent a lot of time running after them and bringing the injured ones home to be patched up.”

Yang felt a small smile of her own grow as she watched Blake interact with the snake, a gleeful gleam in her eyes as she asked questions, snorting with amusement as the snake attempted to crawl into her hair. 

“Yang? Do you want to hold her?”

Yang looked at Blake’s face, head tilted with curiosity and smile bright and let out a soft sigh. God. She was truly doomed, wasn’t she?

“I- sure. But if she bites me, you’re buying me lunch.”

“Deal.” Blake grinned happily at her as Yang approached and carefully helped her hold the snake.

“I… guess she’s not that bad.” Yang murmured softly, as the snake flicked its tongue out at her. She heard Blake’s pleaded hum and turned to see Blake smiling softly at her. Yang bit her lip and turned back to the snake, a singular thought in mind.

‘If it makes you smile like that, I’ll hold any animal that you ask of me.’


	16. Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favourite black and yellow themed die share a quiet moment during their night out with team FNKI.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 16 - Club
> 
> Short but hopefully very sweet 😊

“No, you guys go. I’ll stay here.”

“Me too. I’ll keep Blake company.”

Blake chuckled as Neon pouted before grinning brightly and dragging her team onto the dance floor, leaving her and Yang at their booth.

“Gods. If you could bottle her energy and sell it.” Blake groaned, leaning forward and resting her forehead against the cool table. She let out a soft, surprised hum as Yang’s fingers began to card through her hair, earning a quiet sigh of contentment from Blake as her nails lightly scratched at Blake’s scalp.

“I know. But at least they’re on the floor most of the time. Gives me more time to hang out with my favourite person.” Yang teased lightly, causing Blake to sit up and look at her with an embarrassed smile.

“Oh shut up.” Blake laughed, hiding her smile with her hand. “You’re such a dork.”

“You love it.”

“Debatable.” 

Blake let out another smothered giggle as Yang gave an exasperated and playful growl and tugged her into her side, hugging her tightly and dropping her head to Blake’s shoulder with a huff.

“Gremlin.”

“So you keep saying.”

“It deserves reiteration.”

Blake let out another laugh and closed her eyes as she rested her head against Yang’s, enjoying the feeling of being so close to her. She smiled happily to herself and burrowed her nose into Yang’s hair, quietly inhaling the familiar scent of the conditioner that she used. She felt, more than heard, the sigh that left Yang as she pulled Blake closer, shifting to nuzzle her nose against Blake’s neck affectionately. Blake let out a soft, pleased hum and rested her chin on top of Yang’s head, both women content to sit in this peaceful moment together.


	17. Terrify

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Blake terrifies Yang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 17 - Terrify

“You terrify me.”

Yang was staring both in awe and fear at her partner and best friend, who had a ridiculous amount of sushi on her plate. It was mildly alarming. Surely that much raw fish couldn’t be healthy.

“Oh please. You’re worse than me at dinner time.”

“Yeah… But I’m pretty sure that no Huntsman should be able to ingest that much fish. And it’s raw!”

“Sushi is meant to be raw.”

“Sushi is gross if you ask me.”

“But I didn’t ask you, did I?” Blake smirked over her meal at Yang and quirked a brow. “I’ll have you know that sushi is the dish of royalty where I was born.”

“But you’re not royalty!” Yang said in exasperation, slightly confused by the gleeful glimmer in Blake’s amber eyes. “I feel like you’re making an inside joke that I don’t get.”

“Whatever you say, commoner.” 

“I- you’re just as common as me!” Yang yelped indignantly, brandishing her chopsticks at Blake threateningly. 

Blake simply grinned, a self-satisfied expression in her face. She was definitely making an inside joke that only she got. Yang sighed and returned to her ramen and rolled her eyes. Blake could be a complete and utter little shit at times. Not that Yang was complaining, mind you. She rather liked seeing Blake’s sense of humour… even if she had no idea what the joke was. Not yet at any rate.

“Is this going to be like when you told me that you have the reflexes of a cat?” Yang said quietly so as not to draw attention. “Are you a long lost princess or something?”

“Stick around and maybe you’ll find out.” Blake said calmly, smiling around her cup of tea. “You still need a couple more levels of friendship points to unlock my backstory.”

Yang snorted, amused giggles falling from her lips. Introducing Blake to memes has been a fantastic choice since the girl tended to reference them in the most deadpan, serious manner Yang had ever seen.

“I’ll work on that. Any tips?”

“Buy me all of the fish.” Blake said seriously, expression blank for a moment before she quirked her brows teasingly and returned to her meal. 

Yang chuckled softly and smiled to herself happily. Blake’s sense of humour might be purely for her own benefit and consistently goes over everybody’s heads… but Yang still adored seeing the playful, delighted glimmer in Blake’s eyes.

She just hoped it never went out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I felt like writing something cute. Sue me.


	18. Spite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake thinks about Adam and the past when she and Yang are walking through the mines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 18 - Spite
> 
> Adam is mentioned in this story. Mostly just Blake considering what he did and how his path started and whether or not she can forgive him for all of the pain he caused her.

Blake inhaled sharply as she and Yang passed by another Schnee crate in the mines, decorated with the same logo that left Adam scarred all those years ago. She hated what he became but she couldn’t deny what it was that originally set him on his path. But it was path that he refused to leave. A path that he chose to follow over and over again, making the exact same choice to hurt people time and time again. 

The choice to hurt her time and time again.

She still felt unsure about how she felt. She knew she couldn’t forgive Adam for what he had done to her. How he had taken a spitfire of a young with a dream and a passion and turned her into an apathetic shell of who she once was. He had taken her light and tried to turn her into the monster that he, himself, had become. All because he couldn’t let go of his spite and hatred. It had poisoned him. And he had tried to poison her in turn… and she couldn’t forgive him for the pain he had caused. She’d never forgive him for the abuse she had endured. The countless innocent people he had slaughtered. What he had done to Yang…

She couldn’t forgive him. She couldn’t forget him. The scar on her hip made sure of that. But she could let go of her anger at him. Let go of spite and hatred. She could let go of him and take off the chains he held her down with and move on. 

Her mother had once told her that she didn’t have to forgive the people that had hurt her to move forward. But she did have to let go of the past. 

Blake was inclined to agree. Adam, the embodiment of spite, had left her shattered. But she wouldn’t let him hold onto her in death. Not when she could choose to place herself in the hands of somebody that wouldn’t break her. Somebody that would hold her and treasure her and all of her broken parts. Somebody that was the gold that welded her shattered parts together and helped her grow instead of leaving her in the shadows to wilt.

Blake glances over at Yang, who was walking ahead of her, and wiped at her teary eyes.

Yang was the light that Blake had missing for so long. Yang wanted to see Blake grow and blossom and find her way out from the shadows. She wanted to support Blake and stand by her side as equals.

And Blake loved Yang for it.


	19. Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang watches as Blake meets a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 19 - Cat
> 
> This one is a bit of a sequel to day 17, where Yang teases Blake about sushi.
> 
> Set during a quiet moment in Argus.

“You… didn’t have to come with me.”

Yang glanced at Blake as they walked through the streets of Argus, the city slowly starting to wake up as the two girls wandered to a local café. Everyone else at the house was still asleep and Blake, not wanting to disturb their hostess’ kitchen, had decided to go for a walk. Yang, who had been awake, decided to join her.

“If I let you go off on your own, you’re probably going to come back with another army somehow.” Yang said dryly, lightly cuffing Blake’s shoulder playfully. “Then again… that might be beneficial.”

“Shut up.” Blake huffed, a small, shy smile on her face. Blake almost seemed to hesitate before speaking up. “At least I don’t wind up with immortal wizard child.”

“Ah… okay. Yeah. That’s fair.” Yang laughed softly, shaking her head lightly. “God. What are our lives? I mean… you’re basically a prince-“ 

Yang stopped in the middle of the path and stared blankly at Blake as she stopped a few paces ahead. Blake tilted her head at her curiously, left ear flicking lightly as she quirked an eyebrow. Yang let out a low, pained groan as she smacked herself in the forehead.

“Blake Bella-freaking-donna!” She growled, narrowing her eyes playfully and pointing at her accusingly. “You little gremlin!”

“What? What did I do?” Blake stepped back slightly, an alarmed look in her eyes, her right hand gripping her left bicep anxiously. It made Yang internally wince. Blake was still scared of misstepping, it seemed.

“Back at Beacon. We went out to lunch. You got sushi. Said that it was “the fish of royalty” where you came from. You called me a commoner. Remember this?” Yang sighed, smiling reassuringly at Blake, softening her tone. “You were making a joke about your parents being the leaders of Menagerie… weren’t you? About you basically being a princess.”

“… maybe?”

“Oh my God.” Yang snorted, finally letting out a laugh. “You’re unbelievable! You practically told me that you were royalty and I didn’t even know!”

Yang glanced at Blake to see her trying to hide her smile, an almost gleeful glint entering her eyes as she tried to fight back a giggle.

“You’re just realising this now? After two weeks of being reunited?” Blake asked, her body relaxing as she grinned over at Yang. “You’re a little slow on the uptake, Yang.”

“Oh Brothers… I kind of am, huh?” Yang laughed softly as Blake smiled, seeming pleased to be joking around with Yang. Clearly, they had both missed it. “It doesn’t change the fact that you are such a dork, though.”

“Then I’m in good company.” Blake teased as she turned and continued walking. Yang was quick to catch up and had to bite back the instinctive urge to put her arm around Blake’s shoulders. She was unsure if they were there yet. 

“Yeah. Well.” Yang shrugged as they walked along side a wall. “We-

Yang was interrupted by a sudden meow and both women turned to see a black and white, tuxedo patterned cat staring at Blake curiously. It let out another, almost demanding meow and stretched out it’s nose to Blake, who seemed thoroughly delighted by this development.

“Why, hello, little one.” Blake murmured softly as she stepped over to the cat and held out a hand and let the cat sniff it. “Aren’t you pretty? Let’s see… oh! You have a tag. What’s your name? Tux?” Blake sounded thoroughly amused, her ears flicking towards the small feline happily. “What a fitting name for such a handsome boy. You’re a very dapper kitty, Tux.”

Yang bit her knuckle and tried not to die at how cute it all was. She knew that Blake was an animal lover and had often seen her handle things like reptiles or spiders back at Beacon… but this was taking that level of cuteness and turning it up to a hundred. 

“Oh!” Blake let out a laugh as Tux let out a mewl and stood up on his hind legs to put his fore paws on Blake’s chest and head butted her jaw happily. “You’re such a sweetie. I like you too, but I really should go but it was very nice meeting you, my little friend.”

Yang quirked a teasing eyebrow as Blake turned to face her, grinning as a blush formed across Blake’s cheeks before she quickly sped by Yang, apparently flustered.

“How about that café?” Blake grinned sheepishly as she walked by, a nervous lilt to her voice.

Yang simply let out a soft laugh and followed after her, the door to the cage that housed her heart crack open a little. 


	20. Stereotype

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a report for Oobleck’s class, Blake explains what different faunus stereotypes look like to Yang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 20 - Stereotype 
> 
> This is just an exploration at what different faunus stereotypes might look like and how Yang might respond upon learning about them.

“Okay… so not only do humans stereotype faunus in a general sense… you also get stereotyped based on the animal traits that you have?”

“Correct. You’ve heard what people say about Velvet.” Blake sighed softly, her ears flicking in agitation. “It’s what we’ve had to deal with for years. Everything Velvet eats gets called “rabbit food.” Bird faunus are often cruelly nicknamed Polly. Dog faunus are told to sit, stay, beg and even get called “good dog.” It’s a whole string of things, really.”

“What about you?” Yang asked softly, eyes wide with concern. 

“I’ve been wearing my bow since I was… 14? 15? So I haven’t had it directed at me personally for a while. But we cat faunus, especially women cat faunus, are often called “pretty kitty” and don’t even get me started on cat calling. Do you have any idea how degrading it is to have a human man going “pspsps” at you and rubbing his fingers together?!” Blake scoffed her ears pinning even further against her head. “I’ve met cat faunus that have literally had fish thrown at them! Or humans waving those stupid feather toys at us or throwing balls of yarn at us… it’s humiliating! I’m not a cat, for Brothers’ sake.” 

“Oh.” Yang said quietly, her brow creasing in concern. She cuddled with her hair nervously, almost seeming worried about something. “What- um. What about laser pointers? Are those a micro-aggression?”

“Yes.” Blake said calmly, with a quirked brow. “They are. Which is why it was so efficient in annoying me and getting my attention when I wouldn’t look after myself because of the Torchwick ordeal.”

“I’m sorry. I should have known better.”

“How? With all due respect, Yang… you’re human. While I can pick up on micro-aggressions like that…” Blake said, snapping her fingers for emphasis. “You’ve never had to really think about it in depth before. You’re not racist and honestly, you’re the least ignorant human I’ve ever met. When a faunus tells you something you do or say is hurtful, you apologise and promise to never do it again. And you keep that promise.” Blake smiled reassuringly. “Trust me. You’re fine. Why do you think I don’t wear my bow around you? I trust you. I feel comfortable around you. If I thought that your actions came from a malicious place, you’d know about it.”

“I guess so.” Yang sighed, biting her lip nervously. “But just because I didn’t know at the time, it doesn’t make it right. Nor does it matter that I had good intentions. It was still a micro-aggression against you and I want to apologise for that.”

“Thank you.” Blake said, mildly surprised. Most humans backed out of the situation as quickly as they could… but Yang was making sure to understand what was so wrong with the action and apologise for it. Not that Blake needed an apology. She suspected that, had she been human, Yang still would have used the laser pointer regardless. “I appreciate it. But I understand what you were trying to do and I know it had no intentions of racism. But it means a lot that you’re taking in what I’m telling you.”

Yang smiled gratefully at her and turned back to her report while Blake quietly observed her. An apology had been unneeded, in Blake’s mind. She knew why Yang had done it and genuinely hadn’t considered it to be a malicious act. 

But knowing that Yang took the matter seriously and was willing to listen to what faunus were saying and implement those lessons into her daily life…

It meant a lot to Blake. 


	21. Haircut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we see the extent of Yang’s trust in Blake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 21 - Haircut
> 
> Ugh. This one is dumb. But whatever.

“Blake?”

“Shhhh… you’re okay. I’ve got you.”

Blake bit her lip at the distressed whine that came from her partner and best friend. Landing in Mantle hadn’t been easy. With the amount of chaos in the streets, they were lucky that there had been one casualty…

Yang’s hair.

“I hate Grimm. I hate Salem. I hate everything and everyone.”

“Even me?”  
“… no. Not you. You’re holding a pair of scissors to my hair so I’m obligated to like you.”

Blake stepped back and snorted at her friend, looking at her where she sat on a chair in the bathroom. The poor thing’s hair had gotten singed by a Sphinx when her Aura broke. Blake was now trying to cut off the damaged parts.

“At least it wasn’t all of your hair.” She said softly, carefully snipping away, as Yang cringed. Her hair was so important to her so this was certainly difficult for her. “Um… was there any reason you wanted my help and not Ruby or Weiss’s?”

“Ruby would try to give me something asymmetrical and as much as I love asymmetry, I don’t want that for my hair. And Weiss… just no.” Yang met Blake’s eyes in the mirror and smiled softly at her. “Besides, why wouldn’t I let you help me? I trust you. Plus, you said that you cut your own hair and your hair always looks super pretty so… even more reason to trust you. Not that I need a reason to trust you.”

“I- I appreciate it.” Blake murmured, ears flicking back for a moment as she carefully cut Yang’s hair. It was going to a lot shorter that Yang would like… but in order for the damaged hair to be removed, it had to be done. “You did a number on that Sphinx, though. I almost thought you were burning blue for a moment.” She teased.

“Blue flames would be super cool… or should I say hot?”

“Yang!” Blake made a decidedly unattractive snort, pulling away to giggle into her hand. “Don’t make me laugh when I’m cutting your hair!”

“But I like making you laugh.”

“And you love your hair so let me work in peace, woman.”

“What if I said I love your laugh more than I love my hair?”

“I’d say…” Blake smiled softly and she cut another bit of burnt hair off. “That you were lying.”

“Nope.” Yang said, with a pop. “You’re more important than any strand of hair. That includes your laugh. Hell, if somebody made me a deal and said that your happiness would be promised if I went bald,   
I’d shave it all off for you.”

“That is…” Blake bit her lip, smiling as she shook her head. “Somehow, simultaneously the strangest thing and the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

“It’s true, though.”

“You are too sweet for your own good.” Blake sighed, cutting the last of the dead hair from the healthy hair and brushing down her friend’s shoulders and back. “Okay… done.”

Yang stood and turned to face Blake, nervously fiddling with her now shoulder length hair. She smiled self-consciously at Blake and let out an anxious laugh.

“Well… what do you think? Is it okay?”

Blake blinked once. Twice. She stepped around the chair and gently tucked a strand of hair behind Yang’s ear, smiling when Yang leaned into it.

“It looks good. Great, even.” She whispered, grinning when Yang blinked in confusion before she let out an offended noise in her throat. 

“Come here, you!” Yang growled playfully, pulling Blake into a tight hug and burrowing her face into her neck. “Let me live that down!”

“No. Never.” Blake said with a soft laugh, curling her arms over Yang’s shoulders and squeezing her firmly. “But to answer your question, Yang… you look as pretty as ever. No haircut could change that. But it does suit you.” Blake murmured, pressing her lips to Yang’s temple in a soft kiss. 

‘Is there a single haircut that wouldn’t suit her?’ Blake wondered to herself as Yang pulled back and smiled softly before turning to look in the mirror. ‘Because I’m pretty sure she would look good regardless.’

“Huh. It… looks pretty good.” Yang murmured to herself before she turned to Blake and kissed her cheek, lingering a little too long. “Thank you, Blake.” She whispered into Blake’s skin, pausing to nuzzle her nose against her jaw before heading out into the rest of the house.

Blake looked at her own reflection and sighed at the red cheeked cat faunus staring back at her.

“Oh… I am most certainly doomed.” She said softly, shaking her head as she walked after Yang, smiling at the shouts of encouragement from the living room. She could hear Ruby making a cheeky comment about Yang and Blake matching now, followed by the younger girl’s smug cackle before an indignant screech was heard. She walked in as Ruby threw a pillow at Yang.

“Blake!” Ruby yelled, pointing at her dramatically with a knowing smirk. “Control your girlfriend!”

“I’m not-“

“I have no control over her.” Blake interrupted Yang calmly, brushing by her and smiling coyly at her as she sat down across from a very smug Ruby and Weiss. She watched the two high five as Yang stammered for a moment before plopping down beside Blake with a quiet huff, her arm resting along the back of the couch. Ruby and Weiss’s smug and knowing grins somehow got larger as Blake leaned into Yang’s side. She heard Ruby mutter something that sounded a lot like “Finally!” to Weiss who nodded in agreement.

Blake paid them no mind, instead opting to close her eyes and tuck her head into the side of Yang’s neck, the snickers of her friends’ be damned. Yang’s arm folded over Blake’s shoulders, her chin coming to rest atop of Blake’s head.

Life may be uncertain. But Blake has her team. Her friends. And she had Yang. Nothing would take her from them again, that she knew.

She also knew that Yang’s heart was beating incredibly fast. She’d have to bring that up later.


	22. Discord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake gets welcomed into the Greek Fire group chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 22 - Discord
> 
> Ugh. Don’t like this one but whatever.
> 
> Set in Dance Au.

Blake stared blankly at her phone’s group chat. She was concerned, bewildered and amused by the chaos unfolding in front of her.

Wait… did Nora really just set a fire in her and Ren’s apartment or was that just a joke?

Nope. As it turns out, it was not a joke. Nora did, in fact, set their apartment on fire. 

Blake shrugged and decided to send a photo of point shoes, telling Nora that at least she was on pointe with her jokes.

The chat did not like it. 

But Yang certainly did.

Blake felt a sly grin slip onto her face. It had been a long time since she had been able to make these inside jokes with somebody and she was going to take advantage of it.

An hour later, Pyrrha jumped on (with shouts of “THE CHOSEN ONE HAS ARRIVED!” being thrown at her) and saw the chaos that Blake and Yang had wrought thanks to their inside jokes confusing their crew.

Blake giggles to herself as Pyrrha informed both her and Yang that they were grounded from the group chat. She sent one final message of “Hey, it’s called Discord! I’m just adhering to the original meaning of the word!” before Pyrrha banned her.

Blake let out a low chuckle of amusement. Joining the Greek Fire crew was looking to be wonderful choice to have made.


	23. Braiding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Yang have a moment to talk during their Beacon days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 23 - Braiding
> 
> Featuring one of my favourite headcanons about Blake DESPISING spy movies.

“The shorties aren’t back yet?”

“Ruby, Weiss, Jaune and Nora somehow ended up in detention.”

“Ah. Say no more.” Yang chuckled as she threw her jacket onto the desk and stretched, glancing at her friend and partner as she calmly removed her ribbon, coiled it and placed it into a small box with a bunch of other ribbons of a similar length, all in shades of purple and black. “You have a whole lot of those, huh?”

“I like to keep one or two on hand just in case something happens.” Blake replies calmly, sitting the box beside her and rolling out a shoulder and wincing. “Remind me to work with Pyrrha more often. I really need to focus on physically stronger opponents.”

“Yeah… but you kept up with Pyrrha super well for a lot of the match!” Yang praises with a proud grin. “You even got her weapon away from her for a little bit.”

“She still wiped the floor with me.”

“Pyrrha wipes the floor with everybody.” Yang pointed out as she sat on Weiss’s bed. “You kept up with her longer than Weiss, disarmed her for a moment and got some great hits in. Yeah, she kicked your ass… but you gave a good fight. You deserve to feel proud of that. I know I am.”

“Ah-“ Blake stared at her, black cat ears pinning as her cheeks flushed, before she ducked her head with a frown and a shrug. “Thanks. But “putting up good fight” isn’t enough to stop myself or teammates from getting killed out there. There was absolutely nothing praiseworthy in that fight from me. It’s nothing to be proud of.”

“You disarmed Pyrrha Nikos.” Yang said blankly, crossing her arms, eyebrows raised in disbelief at her friend.

“And she quickly got her weapon back. If I was a better fighter, I should have been able to keep her from getting her weapon back and taken her down quickly and efficiently.”

“I repeat: you DISARMED Pyrrha freakin’ Nikos!” Yang said emphatically as she gazed at her friend in concern. That didn’t sound like the mere inability to take a compliment like Ruby and Jaune. “Don’t sell yourself short, Blake. You’re an amazing fighter. We’re lucky to have you. And no, you won’t change my mind on that fact.And we’’re still students. You have plenty of time to get better at facing physically stronger opponents.”

“Lucky… is not the word I would use.” Blake said dryly, rolling her eyes. Yang didn’t think that Blake tended to associate herself with many positive words in general. “But… thank you. It’s… nice to have a partner that believes in me.”

“Of course.” Yang said softly, brows pinching in concern. Did… Blake not have anyone that believed in her before Beacon? Yang knew she was in the White Fang. What kind of people was Blake surrounded by to have so much self-depreciation? “I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

“You’re sweet. You’re lying…” Blake have Yang small, lopsided smile, amber gaze soft. “But you’re very sweet.”

”Nope. Not lying. Why the hell do you think I let you literally hurl me at the enemy?” Yang said with a quirked brow as Blake grabbed a brush and ran it through her hair. “I trust you.”

“A horrible decision, really.” Blake drawled, wincing as her shoulder ached, grabbing at the sore part. “Crap! Note to self: do not give Pyrrha Nikos the chance to suplex you.”

“That bad, huh, bud?” Yang winced in sympathy. She was immensely glad that her hair seemed almost immune to tangles, much to the irritation of friends. “You know… I could help you?”

“I- Okay. You know what? Fine.” Blake sighed before smirking as Yang made her way over and sat behind her, gently taking Blake’s brush and beginning to gently comb through her friend’s hair. “But I draw the line at painting each other’s nails.”

“Really? I think you’d look cute with bright pink nails.”

“I am personally offended. How dare you suggest that I ruin my dark aesthetic.”

“You wear purple eyeliner.”

“Dark purple eyeliner.”

Yang laughed, amused by her partner’s stubbornness. She delighted in the small giggle that Blake let out, a sound that she would never have associated with the usually reserved woman. 

“Still…” Yang chuckled softly, carefully brushing past Blake’s ears. “You’d suit any style, I think. You’d probably even rock a suit!”

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm. You’d look like… what’sherface…. Jane Fond!”

“If you ever compare me to any spy movie again, I will shave you bald.” Blake growled, ears flicking back in agitation. Yang bit back a smirk. “Do you have any idea how hyper unrealistic those stupid movies are?! It’s ridiculous. The plots make no sense and a majority of the time, it’s set up to make the women look as hot as possible without any relevance to the plot!”

“Hot women are a problem?”

“They are when she’s trying to pick a lock and the only thing you can see on screen is her fucking ass.” Blake huffed, making Yang stop and wheeze. “An ass that’s probably been heavily edited, mind you.”

“Since when do you curse?!” Yang coughed, as Blake looked over her shoulder and smirked in amusement. “The worst you’ve ever said was damn!”

“Sorry, farm girl. Am I hurting your delicate sensibilities?” Blake teased, amber eyes gleaming mischievously. 

“Why, I do declare, Miss Belladonna!” Yang gasped dramatically, placing a palm to her chest and the other to her forehead as she impersonated a southern belle. “I do believe that y’all are tryin’ to influence me! Whatever will the neighbours think?! To be led astray by the dashing rebel? The handsome bandit?”

“Wait… bandit? And what did I steal?” Blake snorted in amusement, evidently enjoying herself. 

“Uh… my… my…” Yang looked around the room for something before seeing Ninjas of Love under Blake’s pillow, the cover just barely poking out. “My heart?”

“Pfft! Oh my Gods!” Blake giggled, turning to lightly smack Yang’s leg. “That was actually… kind of lame.” She added teasingly, cheeks tinted pink. “You, Yang Xiao Long, are such a dork.”

“I think I can live with that.” Yang chuckled softly. “Oh! Can I braid your hair, by the way? I used to do that with my friends back at Signal…” Yang trailed off slowly, frowning as she realised that she hadn’t heard from them lately, despite leaving them various messages. It stung to think about.

“Sure.” Blake sighed, ears flicking slightly. “Just be careful of my ears.”

“Of course.” Yang said quietly, smiling gratefully at the back of Blake’s head. The slightly shorter girl might not realise it… but her friendship had come to mean a lot to Yang. More so than the shallow friendships from Signal that seemed to be fizzling out slowly. Yang ran her hands through Blake’s long, black hair, smiling softly when Blake let out a soft, almost barely audible hum. Blake liked her hair being played with, apparently. “Let me know if I’m braiding too tightly, yeah?”

“Sure.”

Yang divided Blake’s hair into sections and began braiding, content to exist in this quiet moment with her best friend.


	24. Bark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang can’t help but notice how cute Blake is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 24 - Bark

“No. Absolutely not.”

“Blake! I promise that Zwei’s bark is worse than his bite.”

“Yang. Read my lips; I. Am. Not. Touching. That. Mangy. Mutt.” Blake hissed, carefully enunciating each word. 

Yang bit back an amused laugh. Never let it be said that Blake Belladonna wasn’t dramatic.

“He doesn’t bite.”

“He bit Jaune yesterday.”

“Because Jaune was trying to use him to impress Weiss.” Yang said with a quirked brow as she grinned up at Blake. She was perched on Yang’s bunk, glaring daggers at the little corgi in Yang’s arms. “Come on… Zwei’s my best furry friend and you’re my best people friend. Can’t you just try to get along? I’ve held snakes for you!”

“I- are you seriously trying to guilt me into petting your dog?”

“If you really don’t want to, I won’t make you.” Yang said softly, smiling gently at her friend. “But it would mean a lot to me.”

Yang watched as Blake groaned and leaned down and gave Zwei a brief pet on his head and pulled back.

“There. I gave him a pet. Now leave me alone.” Blake grumbled, her ears pinned back in annoyance.

“Thanks, Blake.” Yang beamed at her, noting how Blake’s cheeks flushed lightly before she turned her back to Yang with a huff. Yang chuckled and placed Zwei on the ground and began collecting her everyday clothes to go out with Pyrrha and Nora.

///////////////////////////////////

Yang waved Ruby and Weiss off as they headed to the library and headed to their dorm room, rolling her shoulders as she entered and giving a small whistle for Zwei.

“Zwei! Here boy! You wanna go for your walk?” Yang called, frowning when Zwei couldn’t be found. She glanced at the bunks and noticed that Blake was curled up onto a ball, fast asleep. Her gaze drifted to Blake’s arms and she bit her cheek to stop the adoring squeal from slipping out.

Blake Belladonna, who has claimed to hate dogs and wanted nothing to do with a certain little corgi, was fast asleep with Zwei cuddled up to her. Her arms were wrapped in a firm and gentle hold around the little dog, who glanced up at Yang as she approached, a hopelessly endeared smile on her face. Blake’s unbound eats twitched in her sleep and she burrowed her face into her pillow with a sleepy whine.

“Hey, Zwei.” Yang whispered softly, scratching him behind his ears. “Looks like somebody made a friend, huh? It’s okay, pal. You stay there and snuggle with Blake. She’s been working hard and she deserves a good rest so you look after her for me, okay?”

Zwei let out a barely audible yip, almost seeming to agree with Yang, before tucking his muzzle under Blake’s chin.

“These are unauthorised snuggles.” Blake mumbled sleepily, despite the way she tightened her hold on Zwei contradicting her words. Zwei seemed happy, at any rate.

Yang bit her lip and let out a soft coo at her adorable partner and best friend. Who would have thought that Blake could be so cute?

“Sleep well, Blake.” Yang murmured softly as she gently pulled Blake’s blanket over her shoulders and gently tucked her long, black hair behind her ear. “You’ve more than earned it.” Yang hesitated for a moment before placing a soft kiss to her friend’s temple, pulling back just in time to see a sweet smile cross Blake’s face.

She really was too cute for Yang’s own good.


	25. Stitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of shorts bits from an au.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 25 - Stitch
> 
> I... kind of don’t like this one but whatever. I was lost and saw some fan art of a Lilo and Stitch Bumbleby au with Yang as Nani and Blake as David, Weiss is Stitch and Ruby is Lilo. Not my best work and I will NOT be continuing this one.

“Hi!”

Yang sighed at her baby’s sister’s enthusiasm and smiled tiredly at the shelter attendant. How many enthusiastic seven year olds did she have to deal with on a regular basis?

“My big sister’s getting me a puppy so I need the sweetest angel that you have.” Ruby said seriously, jamming her hands into her jean pockets in a clear imitation of Yang. Her red hoodie was a little too big for her and it created an adorable affect, rather than the serious look the girl was going for.

“Well… we have a bunch of puppies back here for you to check out.” The redheaded woman said with a friendly smile. “Why don’t you go on back and see what you can find, sweetie?”

“Go on. Go find a new friend, kiddo.” Yang ruffled Ruby’s hair as she walked off and turned to the woman. “She’s been a little… lonely so I wanted to get her a companion. Something small, not aggressive. Friendly, you know?”

“Of course. We have lots of dogs for you to choose from. We’ll find the perfect dog for-“

“I found her!”

“Except that one!”

Both Yang and the shelter woman launched towards Ruby, with Yang grabbing her sister and pulling her away from… whatever that thing was. It looked like a freaking mutated koala! 

The other woman had the creature around the waist as it growled and gripped at the desk, claws digging into the wood. It’s fur was an icy blue, with white stripes on it’s back and red claws. Definitely a mutated koala.

“Yes, that one!” Ruby protested with a grin. “You said I could have any dog I wanted!”

“Yes, but does it have to be that one?” Yang whined, glaring at the creature that almost seemed to be smirking at her as it examined it’s claws.

“Yup. She’s good.”

Yang groaned painfully and dropped Ruby to the ground. And so, Weiss became a new part of their little and broken family.

///////////////////////////////////

Yang stood at the tiki bar, mixing drinks as the fire dancers, led by her best friend Blake Belladonna, showed off their skills for the restaurant. Watching Blake twirl fire around her made her eyes seem like molten gold, a dangerous smirk on her face as she led Ilia and Sun through the motions. Yang would have been up there with her… were it not for the fact that she didn’t have time to go through the training needed. She had to take care of Ruby, after all. Without any parents to support them, Yang had to work multiple shifts to keep her sister in her custody. But she would sacrifice her dreams if it meant keeping the family together.

“Xiao Long! Back to work.”

Yang sighed and headed to her sister’s table and narrowed her eyes at their new… dog-shaped thing. Weiss was sitting in a chair, tapping her claws angrily against the wood.

“Oh Ruby! You didn’t eat your greens!”

“Greens are gross.”

“You know… my greens helped me become as quick as I am.” Blake’s voice piped up from beside and Yang turned to see the beautiful young woman smirking playfully at Ruby. “You can’t dodge fire if you don’t eat your greens.”

“But they’re so gross!”

“I’ll tell you what; if Yang says it’s okay, I’ll take you surfing this weekend if you eat… three quarters of them.” Blake glanced at Yang with a small smile and Yang sighed gratefully. She appreciated the effort that Blake put in to help her, despite being busy with her own life.

“Sounds like a deal to me.” Yang said with a quirked brow. Ruby let out an excited noise and promptly ate her greens, albeit with a disgusted look on her face.

“Thanks, Blake.” Yang said softly, smiling at her friend. 

“Don’t worry about it. She’s a sweet girl.” Blake responded before biting her lip nervously. “But… I was hoping to catch you and ask if yo-“

“Xiao Long! Now!”

“Ah, geez!” Yang growled, casting the crestfallen Blake an apologetic smile. “I can’t talk now but I’ll catch up later.”

She quickly moved away, her chest clenching painfully. Later, later, later… it was always later. At this rate, Blake would just stop bothering with her.

///////////////////////////////////

“Don’t worry, Blake!” Ruby beamed up at her, the koala-dog thing staring at Blake ominously. Blake felt her ears pull back. Did Yang really trust that thing with Ruby? “She likes your butt and fancy hair! I read her diary.” Ruby giggled, returning to her drawing.

“She… thinks it’s fancy?” Blake smiled bashfully, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“Yup! And look! I ate most of my greens. Will you take me surfing? Please?”

“A deal’s a deal, Ruby.”

“Weiss, too!”

Blake blinked and stared at the creature. It stared back. Blake mentally groaned. The things she did for her friend’s family…

“Sure… why not.” Blake said with a forced grin. 

“You’re gonna love it, Weiss!”

Blake winced as she walked away. Poor Yang.

///////////////////////////////////

“Hey.”

“Hey.” 

Blake sat next to her friend and smiled sadly. 

“Remember how when we were sad as kids, we’d go into the ocean and let it wash away our sorrows?” Blake said softly, glancing down at her own swim suit pointedly. “It might not solve our problems as adults… but I think that it might just still cheer us up.” Blake felt her header flutter when Yang gave a tiny twitch of a smile. “Besides, I have a promise to keep, Sunflower.” For a moment, Blake expected Yang to recuse…

“Let me go get her and our swim suits. We’ll be back soon.”

///////////////////////////////////

”Hey, Blake! Can I ride with you?”

“Of course you can, Petal.”

Yang felt her heart melt as Blake laughed and pulled Ruby onto her surfboard before paddling out, throwing Yang a lopsided smile as she did. Blake had always been so good with Ruby. It made Yang adore the black haired woman that much more.

“Yang! Watch this!”

“Alright, alright, I’m watching!” Yang laughed as the two paddled out beyond the break. Yang grinned when a wave came, lifting them up and pushing them towards the shore, Ruby’s delighted laugh meeting her ears. 

She and Blake spent the rest of the day making Ruby laugh, enjoying the way Blake made Ruby so happy. She sat on the beach as Blake picked Ruby up and fell into the ocean, both of them giggling happily as Blake kept Ruby above the water. When they came back out, laughing, she and Blake buried Ruby in a sand castle, delighting in the childish joy found.

It was nearing evening when, of all things, Ruby’s dog headbutted her, and showed her the surfboard. Yang and Blake shared a look and shrugged before heading into the water. Blake scooped Ruby onto her board and both women paddled out, with Weiss sitting with Yang. As they rode in, Yang felt a tiny body wrap around her leg and hold in for dear life. She glanced down to see Weiss holding onto her and smiled softly.

Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.

///////////////////////////////////

“Please, you can’t take her from me!” Yang begged as Glynda Goodwitch placed Ruby into her car. “We’re all each other has left! She needs me!”

“You know our rules, Miss Xiao Long. I am doing what must be done.” The older woman said sternly. “Do you really think that this-“ she gestured to the ruins of their home. “Is what she needs? No, she’ll be put with a family that can actually look after her.”

“I can- wait. Ruby? Ruby!”

Yang yelled as she heard the car door slam. She and Glynda shared a look before charging after the little girl, terror filling her veins at the idea that she might lose all the family that she had left.

///////////////////////////////////

“God.” Blake murmured shakily as she sat on her board, ears pressed flat against her head. “I hope the girls are okay.”

They didn’t deserve what was happening to them. Ever since their parents were killed, Blake had been forced to watch the family slowly crumble. It hurt to watch.

“What the…” her ears flicked back as a strange noise made itself known and she turned around… only to be knocked off of her board by a large wave. When she popped up, she saw her two favourite girls… sitting on a plane? With Weiss and… two strange looking creatures?

“Hey, Blake.” Yang called wearily, looking very close to pulling her hair out. “Can we get a lift?”

“… give me a moment to process what I’m seeing and then I’ll make a couple of trips.”

///////////////////////////////////

“… not friends. Family.”

“Parden?”

“Ohana means family. And family means nobody gets lost behind… or forgotten.”

“Ruby…” Blake whispered softly, glaring at Goodwitch and daring her to speak. “Don’t you have the adoption papers?”

“Yeah! Hey! You! You can’t take her!” Ruby glowered up at the alien, who looked down at her in amusement. “You can’t take her! I paid for her so she’s mine! If you take her… you’re stealing.”

“Stealing is against the intergalactic federation’s regulation, Ma’am,” Goodwitch smiled. Which, if Blake was being honest, was a little creepy. 

“Very well. Experiment 2013, you are hereby exhiled to Earth, along with you two. Farewell.”

Blake looked over at the aliens in question (Nora and Ren were their names, apparently?) and sighed heavily. Life just got a lot more exciting.

///////////////////////////////////

“Yang, sis, stop fussing! I’ll be fine!” 

Yang narrowed her eyes at the three aliens and her little sister as she put on her coat.

“Fine. But if I get called from Blake and I’s date because you all got up to something, you’re all grounded, understand?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” They all intoned as a knock sounded on the door.

Yang opened it gave Blake a quick kiss, smiling against her as the others laughed mockingly at her.

“Blake!” Ruby yelled excitedly and tackled Blake’s legs in a hug. “I missed you!”

“You saw me this morning, you little brat.” Blake laughed, kneeling to wrap Ruby up in a tight hug, kissing the top of her head affectionately. “But I missed you too, Petal.”

“Rubes, stop hogging my girlfriend.” Yang scolded playfully as she ushered Ruby back inside and walked out of the door. “Have fun, don’t answer the door and do NOT START ANY EXPERIMENTS IN MY HOUSE, NORA!”

Yang sighed heavily at the manic laugh that followed and gently dragged Blake away from the rebuilt house and pulled her into her arms, burrowing her head into her neck.

“Ugh.”

“Hey, you always wanted a big family. Now you’ve got one.” Blake murmured into her ear softly, nuzzling at her jawline. “Even if it is a little alien.”

Yang gave a playful growl and nipped at her girlfriend’s exposed neck cheekily, rolling her eyes at the smirk that pressed into her collar.

“Alien but perfect.”

Blake pulled back to brush their noses together, smiling softly as the moon caught her amber eyes, making Yang’s breath hitch. How did she get so lucky? Her family, her girlfriend…

“Come on. Let’s go.”

It was a little chaotic and very alien to her… but it was perfect.


	26. Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment of rest for our busy, buzzing bees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 26 - Rest
> 
> Let them rest in each other’s arms, Rooster Teeth. They deserve it.

Blake sighed softly as she glanced down at Yang. Her partner and best friend was currently laying with her head in Blake’s lap as they both rested against a wall in Peitro’s living room. Ruby, Weiss and Penny were huddled together on one couch with Ren, Jaune and Nora on the other. Maria had taken the only spare room in the house. Blake had decided to sit against a wall, closest to the fireplace and Yang had been quick to join her. It hadn’t taken long for Yang to fall asleep, slowly falling against Blake until she landed in Blake’s lap. 

Blake wasn’t about to complain. Yang deserved to rest.

“Blake?” Yang mumbled, her voice barely audible. Blake’s sensitive cat ears picked on it and she let out a soft, inquisitive hum. “You okay?”

“It’s… complicated.” Blake whispered, resting her hand on Yang’s abdomen as the young Huntress rolled over and looked up at her through tired, lilac eyes. “I’ll be okay, though. I promise.”

“Okay… but you can talk to me.” Yang said quietly, lifting her hand to graze her fingers delicately along Blake’s jaw. Blake closed her eyes and leaned into the soothing touch with a quiet, pleased hum. “You know that, right?”

“I know.” Blake murmured, rubbing her thumb against Yang’s stomach affectionately. “But right now… I just want to rest.”

“Same here.” Yang hesitated for a moment before smiling sheepishly up at Blake, cheeks flushing slightly. “Is it okay if I stay here? You make an amazing pillow.”

“Of course. You make a pretty amazing space heater.” Blake teased lightly, running a hand along Yang’s hair, her heart melting as her friend leaned into the touch with a quiet chuckle. 

Yang smiled softly at her and took the hand resting in her abdomen and entwined their fingers before making herself comfortable in Blake’s lap, closing her eyes as Blake scratched lightly at her scalp. Blake gave Yang’s hand an affectionate squeeze and rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes and letting sleep take her away.

Their world was shrouded in chaos… but at least they had a safe place to rest.


	27. Laser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a movie, Yang realises several thing about Blake.
> 
> 1\. Blake is a very passionate person (she already knew that but it bears reiterating)
> 
> 2\. Blake hates spy movies with a burning passion. Like really, really hates them. 
> 
> 3\. Blake being feisty is still the best thing ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 27 - Lasers
> 
> I love the idea that Blake hates spy movies and will rant for hours about them so have some Blake losing her mind over one.

“Are you-“

“Don’t talk to me. I am this close to smacking somebody. Preferably whoever the hell directed and wrote that God awful movie.”

Yang winced as she and Blake left the movie theatre. Ruby had grabbed Weiss and dragged her to a weapons store, leaving Blake and Yang to head home. Blake, evidently, did not enjoy the movie.

“I mean… God!” Blake huffed indignantly, her black bow shifting as her ears pinned. “That laser scene was so obviously done just so that the audience could ogle that woman’s ass! There was a much, much more obvious route through the lasers that, guess what, had much less chance of triggering the alarm system! But who cares! The actress looked sexy so who gives a flying fucking fuck!”

“Um…” Yang stared blankly at her best friend, unable to believe what she was hearing. She had never heard her partner curse before.

“And another thing!” Blake turned to point at Yang, her amber eyes now burning a molten gold. “Why is it that a man always gets the credit in these movies? They always make it out like he’s the brains of the outfit but 9 times of ten… THE WOMAN’S THE ONE HAVING TO SAVE HIS FUCKING ASS!” Blake yelled, apparently not caring who heard, arms flailing. “God, you could play a fucking drinking game with the amount of times she had to save him. And who gets celebrated as a hero?”

“The… guy?”

“The fucking guy!” Blake threw her arms up and stormed off, silently fuming. 

“Oof.” Yang muttered to herself. “Note to self: Blake Belladonna hates spy movies.”

The two walked in silence for a moment before Blake stopped again and turned to Yang with a heavy sigh and an apologetic expression. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have used you as a sounding board like that.” Blake mumbled self-consciously, arms crossed. 

“Don’t be. It’s actually… kind of cool to see how passionate you get about things.” Yang reassured gently, smiling kindly at her friend. “It doesn’t matter what, if it upsets you or pisses you off, you let people know. Remember how you immediately jumped onto Weiss about the faunus thing last semester? Or how you challenged Cardin to a fight when he said that brute force will always win in a fight and totally schooled him? Even if it was just a dumb movie, I like listening to you talk.”

“I- really?” Blake seemed taken aback, as though nobody had ever really enjoyed hearing what she had to say. Did Blake feel like what she had to say was unimportant? “Um… thank you, Yang.”

“Of course.” Yang smirked at Blake and leaned forward in the balls of her feet, ready to run. “Besides, you’re actually kind of cute when you’re mad.”

“Excuse me?!”

Yang let out a cheeky laugh and bolted, with Blake hot on her heels and demanding an explanation through her own laughter.

It was fascinating listening to Blake rant and vent, to see what she was passionate about or what angered her… but Yang had to admit that nothing compared to hearing Blake laugh.


	28. Gun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Blake and Yang get a little competitive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 28 - Gun
> 
> And Knife Loving Blake makes a comeback.

“Huh. So that’s when everything became a gun.”

“And ruined throwing knives.”

“Blake! What is with you and knives?!”

“I despise what Atlas has done to knives. What’s the point of having a gun in a blade that I’m trying to imbed in the chest of my enemy?” Blake growled, unbound ears flicking in irritation as they sat on Yang’s bed studying. “I’m already about to lose my knife why the hell would I want to lose my gun? And that’s not even mentioning how it throws the damn thing off! Adding a gun to it is so unnecessary.”

“You’re such a fusspot.” Yang teased, poking Blake’s nose playfully, yelping when Blake bared her teeth and mimed a bite. “Geez! Take me out to dinner first, Blake!”

“I am not a fusspot! Throwing knives just so happens to take a certain level of class and accuracy that gets completely thrown out of the window when you add unnecessary components to the mix.” Blake huffed, narrowing her amber eyes at a rather amused Yang. “A grenade blade is just a bad idea and could easily send shrapnel flying back towards me. A gun blade is just so stupid! Now the enemy, if they survive, has a gun and a knife! If I wanted a gun, I’d use a gun! Let me throw my classic throwing knives into my enemy’s neck in peace!”

“Fusspot.” Yang repeated her earlier words, smirking as she leaned her head in her hand, lilac eyes twinkling mischievously.

“Do you want me to use you as a practice dummy? Because I’ll use you as a practice dummy.” Blake quipped, trying to fight back her smile. Curse Yang and her infectious playfulness.

“You couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn door, let alone a moving target.” 

Blake’s jaw fell open before she clamped it shut and narrowed her eyes dangerously at Yang, who merely grinned knowingly at her. Yang knew that Blake had a competitive streak and often liked to toy with it, drawing some rather dramatic reactions from Blake.

“You play a dangerous game, Miss Xiao Long.” Blake growled, ears flicking forward at the idea of the challenge. pointing her pen at Yang accusingly. “One that you’re sure to lose.”

“Then let’s make it interesting. We go down to the target range. You pick out a blade. You throw it at the moving targets set at a high level. You hit every single one, you win. You don’t, you lose. Winner has to take the loser out for drinks.”

“Deal.” Blake felt her lips twist into a smirk as they shook hands, both women delighted by the challenge. 

And the following day, when they headed to the target range, Blake would deny getting fancy with her throws and really showing off her skill set. She was just trying to make a point, that’s all. It’s not like she was trying to impress her friend. Not at all.


	29. Boom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Yang arrive in the Vacuan market place to a bang.
> 
> Funny how everyone tends to reunite in a dramatic fashion, eh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 29 - Boom
> 
> Time to go out with a Yang! It’s been another amazing month of prompts and I have been loving all of your comments so thank you so, so much!
> 
> P.s there’ll be a special announcement in the end notes so stick around!

BOOM!

“Yang. Please tell me that wasn’t you?”

“What? I’m standing right beside you! How could that have been me?!”

“Because whenever I go out with you, something tends to explode.”

Blake gave Yang a smirk, before sighing at the Vacuan market stall. New clothes would have to wait, it seemed.

“It’s a Grimm!”

“Aaahhh… Neptune! I could use a little help, buddy!”

“Kinda busy here, Sun!”

Blake and Yang quirked an eyebrow at each before smirking, readying their weapons and running in the direction of the commotion.

“Isn’t it usually the girls that are in distress?” Yang yelled as they ran, a delighted and playful gleam in her eyes.

“Yeah… but Sun leads a team full of dorks that have always struggled with teamwork. I would have hoped that had improved but…” they came to a grinding halt just as a blonde haired monkey faunus went flying into a nearby wall, soon to be followed by a blue haired human. 

“That was so your fault!”

“My fault?! You weren’t watching my back!”

“What am I, your keeper?! I can’t watch your back when I’m trying to watch my own!”

“You-“

“Boys!” Blake interrupted with a smirk, watching as both boys turned to her, their jaws dropping. She couldn’t blame them. Her clothes were torn from the Fall of Atlas, she had a chunk taken from her ear and she had just given herself a half shave. She certainly looked different. But she liked it… and so did Yang. “Save the squabble for couple’s therapy. We have a job to do.” With that Blake winked in a manner that was decidedly “Yang-esque” And used her weapon to swing towards the giant crab. 

She delighted in the laugh that Yang gave, probably taking amusement in the boys’ shock, before the blonde Huntress jumped into the fray herself, both women working together as perfectly as they always did, much to the awe of the boys when they finished.

“Man!” Sun yelled as high fived Yang and pulled Blake into a tight hug. “You have no idea how great is to see you two pulling off your whole “Bumbleby” thing again! I knew you two would figure it out.”

“Yeah, ladies.” Neptune smiles charmingly. “Especially you, Yang. That explosives bit was genius.”

“What else would you expect from Yang?” Blake piped up, her eyes narrowed slightly as her arm slipped around Yang’s waist protectively, her hand resting low on her hip. “As for team Bumbleby being back in action… I suppose it’s only natural considering that Yang’s my girlfriend.” Blake said, pointedly glaring at Neptune. She heard Yang chuckle softly, her arm resting snugly over Blake’s shoulder. 

“Seriously?” Sun said quietly, making Blake freeze for a split second before a bright, excited grin lit up his face. “That’s awesome! It’s about time, too! Do you have any idea how annoying it was to be your date at that dance and have deal with you making moon eyes back at her?! And oh my Gods! The pinning while we were in Menagerie! It was ridiculous!” Sun yelled, gripping his hair, a teasing smirk on his face as Blake gave him a deadpan stare. “Even when we hung out back at Beacon, Nep and I had to deal with so many talks revolving around Yang! Seriously, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t clue in sooner!”

“Gee. Thanks, Sun.”

“But in all seriousness, Blake?” Sun said, voice and gaze much softer now. “I’m happy for you. It’s obvious who your heart has always belonged to and I’m proud of you for following it. You deserve this. Both of you.”

Blake felt touched tears prick her eyes for a moment before she pulled away from Yang and pulled Sun down into a tight hug, murmuring a grateful “thank you” into his ear. When they pulled away, she laughed when Sun let out a faux gasp of pain as Yang pulled him into a headlock, messing up his hair with a playful threat of “Yeah, so you best stay away from my girl.” They all knew that it was empty. Sun posed no threat to Yang and Yang knew where she stood. It was pure playfulness and good humour. Blake, on the other hand…

“Neptune?” Blake said suddenly smiling a little too sweetly at the boy as he stopped staring at Yang and met her gaze. “I will not hesitate to stab you if you keep ogling my girlfriend like she’s a piece of meat.”

“Hehe!” Neptune laughed nervously, rubbing his neck as Blake’s smile turned sharp. “Of course! I would never-“

“Dude. I’ve seen Blake fight. She will mess you up.” Sun snorted, rolling his eyes and bowing at Blake and Yang. “Sorry. He’s an idiot.”

“Eh, the prettier they are; the dumber they are.” Yang joked, gently taking Blake’s hand as naturally as she were breathing.

“Except you.” Blake smirked, turning her head to nuzzle at Yang’s jawline, enjoying the way her cheeks flushed red. “You’re gorgeous and practically a genius so I must have lucked out.”

“Damn, Belladonna! Get it!” Sun smirked, quirking a surprised brow when Yang tripped over her own words. “Wow… I woulda thought she’d be more functional than this.”

“I didn’t.” Blake quipped, giggling as Yang growled playfully and pulled her into what Blake had come to associate as a hug of “punishment.” She happily leaned into it, humming in contentment.

“No. This is a disciplinary hug. Do not derive joy from it.”

Blake chuckled softly and kissed her neck before nuzzling further into Yang and sighing happily. She smirked when Yang kissed her head, quietly muttering about how unfair it was that Blake was so cute.

“Damn, Yang. Blake’s got you wrapped around her little finger.” Sun snickered. “Ah bananas! We have to meet up with the others! But call us and let’s catch up!”

Blake pulled back from Yang to give the two boys a brief hug and wave them off, a grateful smile on her face.

“He took that really well.” Yang said softly as she rested her chin on Blake’s shoulder, her arms around her waist.

“Sun actually encouraged me to go back to you. He said it himself; he knew where I belonged, even if it took me a little while to see it. Or rather, see that I deserve this as much as anybody else.” Blake said quietly turning back to stare regretfully at Yang. “I’m sorry it took me so long to realise it.”

“Don’t be. We’re here now, right?”

“Hmm.” Blake hummed softly, quirking an eyebrow as a nearby market stall tipped over, the poor woman running it staring in dismay. “Come on. Let’s go help her.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you have wondered one of two things:
> 
> 1\. Am I going to do a month of prompts for the bees in March?
> 
> And 
> 
> 2\. Am I going to continue Mechanic Au?
> 
> The answer is YES! March will be a month of one word prompts dedicated to my mechanic au so that we can see how far I can take that story in one month! I’m still play about with names for the title. So far I have “Fix It Together.” Let me know if you have any suggestions!


End file.
